Friends of Sinners was looking forward to receiving the funds from the Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission to finish their newest location on Jackson Street. When they received the news that they did not receive the grant, Executive Director Joe Welsh said that Lisa Aull called him within hours to say they had a property ready to sell to raise funds.
Lisa Aull, Project Manager for TRA Holdings, donated the building to the nonprofit in 2021 with the intent that FOS would auction or sell it when it was renovated. Welsh said that is still the plan today.
“This building is not for us to use for anything. We’re going to take this money and finish the new facility just like we were counting on that opioid abatement grant to finish the new facility,” Welsh said.
The property at 210 Allen St is just over 6,000 square feet, with two above-ground levels and a basement. In the past, it’s been home to Peach Tree Gallery, an antique store and a lawyer’s office.
The agreement between the two organizations has been in place since 2021. Welsh said that Aaron Kizer Contracting has turned the building into a blank canvas since then.
Aull said she was inspired to donate the location to FOS after seeing their work throughout the community to help families in Owensboro.
“He’s taking people that have made a mistake, have an addiction, or had some problems in their life and he’s fixing them. That is what he’s doing. He’s integrating them back into the community,” Aull said.
Aull and Welsh did not disclose the appraised value, but noted that the taxable donated amount was close to $469,000.
The organization will receive $1 million through the Kentucky General Assembly’s House Bill 1 in late July.
Welsh said with the combined funds from the General Assembly and the soon-to-be-sold Allen Street property. They hope to make the difference they did not receive from the Opioid Abatement fund.
“The little bit of money that separates this building and the opioid money will just allow us to do some nice and recreational things for our clients that would be fun for them because it’s important in recovery to have fun,” Welsh said.
With the new facility, Welsh said he wants to give the clients a one-stop for everything they need during their recovery journey, all under the Clay Street roof.
By doing so, he said this would be a major change to the FOS program as people know it and break the template that often follows recovery programs.
“At the new facility, we’ll have our therapists and our counselors on campus, and they’ll have their own offices there. Everybody comes to us now instead of us going to them. So it’s going to allow us to finish everything we need to move in and be fully operational like we are now and do a lot more,” Welsh said.
Welsh said Friends of Sinners will announce how the property will be sold, whether that be through sale, auctions, or raffle in the coming week.
