THE PROJECT

Wellness and Recovery with Maitrī Inc NFP, also known as WARM, is a 501c3 organization that was created in 2022. WARM, partnered with its passionate staff and board members, continues to want to be part of the solution to the nationwide addiction and mental health crisis in this community.

Research shows the longer a person stays engaged in treatment, the better chance they have of maintaining their recovery. WARM recently purchased a vacant medical building to transform the building into a multipurpose treatment facility. This building will be split into three areas, housing for females, housing for males, and counseling offices. Part of this building will be transformed into an abstinence-based extended care facility, picture this part of the building as a safe place for individuals who are on the same path to wellness and recovery to live among each other. Here they can use each other as a resource in their journey to a better life. Here the females and the males will have bedrooms in different parts of the building, with a shared kitchen/eating area and a shared outdoor recreation space. The third portion of the building will serve as space to provide mental health counseling, substance use disorder treatment, and other outpatient services for both the residents of the building and the public. Having these services available in the same building as the residents is paramount to their success. Residents will not have to find rides to and from their appointments, and they will have 24-hour access to a counselor in the event of an emergency.

Abstinence and total recovery from drug and alcohol addiction take time, effort, and bravery to win the battle. LaSalle County is in the top 7% of all Illinois counties pertaining to the overdose death rate. We are ranked 8th highest of the 102 counties in Illinois. The new residential extended care treatment center will provide one of the most powerful weapons in the arsenal of our community.

Once sober from all substances, clients will be able to live on-site for anywhere from 3 to 6 months while establishing employment in the community. Clients will receive individualized counseling and other supportive services to continue their success. It is WARM’s goal to help our community members build, or rebuild, healthy, supportive relationships in the community in which they plan to continue to live. We are proud to announce, in recognition of the severe need for a residential recovery center in our region, the Department of Justice and the Illinois Department of Housing Authority selected Maitrī, a grassroots organization, to provide that resource to our community.

We are excited to move forward with this project with grant funding being awarded to WARM by the Department of Justice and the Illinois Department of Housing Authority. We have been in contact with other service providers, the local police, and the appropriate licensing agencies. We are on track to be the first in the area to provide transitional housing for the people of LaSalle and bordering counties.

Kelly made the decision that she wanted to be part of the solution in May 2021. I am proud to take this opportunity to introduce you to Maitri Path to Wellness, a mental health counseling agency that opened its doors in late 2021. Maitri Path to Wellness currently provides individual counseling and Accelerated Resolution Therapy to assist individuals challenged with addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, grief, and life transitions. Maitri Path to Wellness provides services to clients who may be your friends, family, coworkers, or neighbors. Maitri Path to Wellness provides services to individuals without discrimination. Maitri accepts individuals of any gender, race, income level, or job title. Maitri even accepts both state (Medicaid/Medicare) and private insurance.

Not only has Kelly continued to pour her heart and soul into the success of others through opening the doors of Maitri, but her son, Brenden, has joined her full-time in her mission. Together, this mother and son duo has created a grassroots organization that strives to provide quality treatment to our local loved ones. In fact, all the staff at Maitri have a passion for providing quality care to everyone equally. This includes those with state-funded insurance plans who are often unable to access quality care.

Maitri has grown since its doors opened. In November 2021, we began the pain staking journey of becoming licensed and credentialed with private and state insurance companies, we were finally able to begin offering substance use disorder groups on February 20, 2023.

Risks & Challenges

With any business, there are risks and challenges. The first that comes to many people’s attention is profitability. It’s no secret that counseling is not a very profitable business, hence why there is a nationwide crisis due to a lack of services. However, once we get our doors open, we project that we will be able to make enough money to pay our bills, compensate staff at the industry standard wage or better, and provide services to individuals at no cost or a reduced cost. This is possible by billing insurance companies for our counseling services. Counseling clients should not have to pay outside of paying their co-pays and deductibles.