Facility Offers Help For Women Suffering From Substance Use Disorder

Photographer / Ron Wise

TransformationsSurgeons work to heal the body. Psychiatrists work to heal the mind. But how can someone’s life be healed from substance abuse? At Transformations Center for Healing, the staff’s mission is to heal the lives of women who are suffering from substance use disorder. Transformations is a holistic, residential recovery center focused on healing the lives of women suffering from substance use.

Transformations was founded by Laci Giboney, who is passionate about changing lives affected by substance use. Giboney works to impact women in Hamilton County by getting to the root of why people use drugs and alcohol. She believes any transformation and healing starts with Jesus Christ.

“Drug and alcohol usage is a symptom of our brokenness and pain,” Giboney says. “It takes at least a year to get to the roots of any trauma or false beliefs, but it is a self-discovery journey that goes to the depths of your being and the essence of who you are.”

Fourteen years ago, Giboney started her own recovery from heroin addiction. Her drug use escalated to heroin after graduating Noblesville High School, and ended when she spent time in Rockville Correctional Facility. During her time in Rockville, she gave her life to Jesus, and says she started to feel that God still had plans for her life.

After her experience in Rockville Correctional Facility, Giboney had big hopes for her future. She knew she wanted to start a recovery center in Hamilton County.

After her recovery, Giboney received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work. In January of 2016 she searched online for information on how to start a nonprofit organization. She knew what her business model would be, but had to educate herself on all the various aspects of operating a recovery center. Her family members were able to help her as much as they could, but Giboney had to continue to ask others for business and financial help.

“I would ask anyone and everyone that would listen to me,” Giboney says. “I got a lot of noes and I hit a lot of brick walls, but pretty quickly I met the people at White River Christian Church and they wanted in.”

The leaders at White River Christian Church became more than happy to assist Giboney with what she wanted to do. On November 7, 2016, the church raised over $110,000 to make the Transformations Center for Healing a reality. 

Life Church Noblesville donated a parsonage house to Transformations for the staff to use. Giboney used the money raised by White River Christian Church to complete $60,000 worth of renovations to the house. After the renovations were completed, Transformations officially opened its doors in May of 2017.

TransformationsSince then, the 12-month Residential Program has expanded to include a transition house and a program in the Hamilton County Jail. The Transformations Therapeutic Recovery Pod for women opened in the Hamilton County Jail in January 2018. Inmates are housed separately from the rest of the population and receive individual and group counseling. This program has reduced participant recidivism rates by 80%. Transformations goal is to expand the program to the men’s jail and pilot the program in other county jails.

Transformations also operates a transitional home, which is a place where women go after completing 10 months of the Residential Program. The transition house is called Trevor’s House of Hope, named after Trevor Vautaw, who lost his life several years ago due to heroin addiction. Vautaw’s family is a supporter of Transformations through the Annual Trevor Vautaw Memorial Golf Outing, coming up August 1 this year.

Women in Central Indiana who wish to be part of the Transformations program can contact the staff and undergo a five-day interview process. After this process, women visit the main facility for a final interview, at which point they must be ready to move in. Once women have lived in the main house for 10 months, they move to Trevor’s House of Hope, where they can stay for two years.

Giboney has big goals for 2020. Since the women at the facility receive full scholarships, Transformations has no regular tuition money coming in, and the staff is continually searching for various means of income to support the program. This has included launching a private coffee label, opening an outpatient office to help those who may not be ready for the main house, and expanding jail pods outside of Hamilton County.

“I’m always looking for how we can bridge the gap to meet service needs,” Giboney says.

Giboney has continued to assess how women are affected by Transformations. She is constantly encouraged and inspired by each woman’s story. One women who participated in the Transformations program reconnected with her estranged daughter – who now refers to her mother as her best friend – after a slow process of healing and gradual communication.

For more information on Transformations Center for Healing and to register for the upcoming golf outing, call 317-219-6673 or visit transformationscfh.org.

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