Elkhart-based rehab agency seeks $700K for ongoing expansion

ELKHART, Ind. (AP) - An Elkhart-based agency that provides drug and alcohol rehabilitation services to young men says it needs $700,000 to cover costs of an ongoing expansion project.

North Central Indiana Teen Challenge began the $2.5 million expansion project in June. The new building would house as many as 96 men, more than four times the current building's limit of 23 men.

Agency director Andy Collins told The Elkhart Truth (http://bit.ly/1Ro48GH ) that an expansion of rehab services is needed in the community.

"The need for services like this are great wherever you go," He said. "Young men are in and out of the courts, and they are not seeing a life transformation that will break the cycle."

Collins said they're still raising money for the project. He said $700,000 is needed to wrap up funding for the original plan, though more donations are needed for future uses.

Men in the program have been working shifts to keep costs down, Collins said.

"They have regular jobs out in the community, but they also want to help out with this new project," he said. "Any little bit helps."

Windows are currently being installed on the new building that's slated to open in the spring or summer, though Collins said the project's timeline is fluid. The old building will be turned into transitional housing and a career and training center.

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Information from: The Elkhart Truth, http://www.elkharttruth.com