were requesting that a former church building be allowed to operate as a sober living facility for up to 15 residents. He stated that he had provided the rules and acceptance requirements for their program. He stated that they had just purchased the church and that the Pastor wanted to see the building continue to be used in a positive way to help people. He stated that the building was 5,200 square feet and that they had met with the City Building Commissioner and needed to address a few minor items and that the Fire Marshal gave them a few items to also address. He stated that combined, he and Mr. Blevins had over 10 years of being clean and sober and had been working with the community every day during that time. He stated that their mission was to help people that were sober reclaim some of what they had lost and to become responsible citizens. He stated that he currently held a recovery meeting every Friday in Grant County and was a sponsor and mentor to individuals to help them on their own path to recovery. He stated that he and Mr. Blevins excelled at loving people and using their experience to help them be successful. He stated that this was a spacious building that was up to building code and would be up to fire code within 30 days pending approval of this request. He stated that there was more than enough room for 15 people and parking for up to 10 vehicles in front of the building. He stated that the impact would be minimal since the previous use had been a church. He stated that they had strict rules for a 10:00 PM curfew and that they would not be a disturbance to the neighbors in fact, they planned to help clean up the area and help the community. He stated that part of the recovery process was to take the focus off of themselves and help the community to be better. He stated that this was part of the long-term vision for Muncie and that there were not enough residential sober living facilities in the area. He stated that some of the men who would be eligible for release from jail face a hurdle when it came to finding housing. He stated that they wanted to change the way that addiction was looked at and that they wanted to be part of the long-term solution to helping people. He stated that they would require the residents to have a job within 3 weeks to be considered for placement. He stated that they hoped to make a big impact on addiction and that they would be willing to discuss any conditions that the Board may want to place on the granting of this request.

Brian Blevins, 409 N. Jefferson St., Hartford City, Indiana, appeared. He stated that he had been a peer support specialist in Grant County for over 8 years. He stated that he had 5 years of experience in running a sober living facility, had been the Director of the Life Change Program for 1 & ½ years. He stated that he had a true death/life testimony of his own and when facing life in prison, Muncie came to Blackford County and offered him hope in the form of AA meetings. He stated that the program gave him real hope and that when he got out of jail, was on house arrest and in those 6 years he changed his life. He stated that he had lived in a sober living facility for 6 months and that his first experience was here in Muncie and that was his reason for having a passion for the community. He stated that it was important to have a safe place to recover and that they would need to be willing to put in the work. He stated that they want to make the community a safe place for everyone and that they would not accept sex offenders or violent criminals and that there would be curfews in place for the residents. He stated that they sent letters to the neighbors and had only received 1 negative response and that they were ready to have any tough conversations. He stated that they were ready to accept the challenge and could not understand why there were not more of this type of facility available. He stated that he had helped more than 200