By Kris and Angie Hunley

For the past three years, all we have heard about is the opioid epidemic and that we need to find a solution, not just for Jackson County but for southern Indiana.

With no relief in sight besides Suboxone or other drugs, a man and wife received a vision from God to start a transitional house for men called Todd’s Transitional Housing.

Once the couple received the vision, they took the vision to several people, including Grover Stacey, who owns the old Community Care building that had sat empty for many years.

Kris and Angie Hunley shared the vision God gave them that the building should be used for helping men who are struggling with alcohol and drug addiction.

Grover agreed, and after nine months of long hours of work, the vision came to pass, and Todd’s Transitional Housing was opened.

The building was named Todd’s Place in memory of a friend of Kris who lost his battle with liver problems due to drinking and being five years sober was in need of a transplant at which time Kris had to pull the plug on the life support. The building is named after a true inspiration, Todd McMahel.

Since Todd’s Place has opened, it has faced many adversities, from bills to the public. I don’t understand how people can be against something that is making a difference in the community.

We have had growing pains and learn as we go, but we have housed up to 68 guys at one time, and to date, we have graduated 30 guys with 22 still clean, productive citizens that we made a commitment we would do.

If we are making a difference in all of the communities, it is beyond me why people would complain to the state and file grievances against us when all we have done is help guys get on their feet, get jobs and get back with their families.

The ones who did call the state and did what they did is because they broke the rules and it’s Todd’s Place’s fault because they couldn’t do what they wanted to do.

If you want to know about Todd’s Place, the real Todd’s Place, come and listen to the success stories and the thankful guys who say this place saved their lives.

Everyone complains about the problem, but then they complain about the help being provided, so which is it?

God is for this place along with a lot of prominent people of the community. To allow the state to revoke our certification on hearsay and we never even got to face the problems, where is due process, but that’s the Statehouse.

It saddens me that we have worked so hard to make a difference in the community only to get slapped in the face with no gratitude.

What is more important, saving lives or saving money?

Let your voices be heard because let me give you some numbers. We’re saving the community if 22 people go to the trustee for $100, and you have 22 every day and they do that for 365 days a year, that’s over $803,000 that Todd’s Place has saved the community, but all you hear is the negative — nothing positive.

We have been in the community for 16 months and recently received the Seymour Shine award because Mayor Craig Luedeman and Shawn Malone believed in us.

I made a commitment to the community that Todd’s Place would not be a flophouse or full of drugs, and I have stood good on my word as a pastor.

If you support Todd’s Place, let your voice be heard and speak out, churches rise up, it’s time to fight this thing head-on because it’s doing nothing but getting worse.

Please join us in this fight and understand we are for the community, not to make another problem. God bless you and this community.

Pastor Kris Hunley and Angie Hunley of Seymour are the founders of Todd’s Place, a transitional housing facility in Seymour that helps men recover from drug and alcohol addictions.