Nonprofit Highlight: On Our Way Home, Inc.
Addiction has touched everyone’s life in one way or another. On Our Way Home, Inc. is a Peer Run Organization in Clermont County that provides opportunities to build healthy and purposeful lives for those in recovery from addiction. On Our Way Home offers quality, safe, and affordable housing where peers live as one household to support each other and engage in the community in meaningful ways. It empowers those in recovery from mental health and addiction to improve relationships with family members and to foster a sense of purpose and involvement. The stigma surrounding mental health and addiction is mitigated through public awareness and education, as On Our Way Home puts human faces and voices to addiction and shows that recovery can be beautiful.
On Our Way Home was formed in 2019 and began operating in 2022. It reorganized in 2024 (with PBPO’s help) to become a Peer Run Organization, to offer increased behavioral health support to residents and the broader community. It collaborates with both Ohio Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS), as well as experienced addiction treatment providers in the community.
“As a new nonprofit, formed to meet the needs of the community, we could not have succeeded without the support of Pro Bono Partnership of Ohio. There are so many legal needs for a new corporation! From drafting bylaws, employee, tenant and independent contractor agreements and publicity waivers, to ensuring that we have solid corporate housekeeping processes in place and navigating occupancy issues. Anytime I have a legal question, I can simply reach out to PBPO Attorney Erin Starkey, and she guides me through to the answer! Each project brings the most-informed and highest quality legal advice given by lawyers that genuinely care about our mission. We are so grateful for this agency and for the wealth of talent and service of its volunteers!” – Barbara Isemann, Founder and Executive Director
On Our Way Home’s main programs are:
- Certified, managed recovery housing in rural Southwest Ohio communities
- Recovery support at a Wellness Center that provides a safe site where people in the community can interact
- Meeting the immediate needs of residents, such as clothing, perishable food, and transportation, initial personal care products and “Quilt of Love and Protection” for each new resident, assistance with reinstating personal drivers’ licenses, and more.
Since 2022, On Our Way Home has provided residents with over 12,000 safe nights of sleep. The lives of more than 33 women and 43 men, together with their families, have been impacted. Residents have literally gotten their “smiles” back, relationships have been rebuilt, and families have been reunited. Communities have an enhanced workforce of sober, committed employees, and everyone has a sense of belonging and connectedness. According to Barbara, “We’re grateful for the blessings of 2024 and are excited for what 2025 will bring!”
Learn more about On Our Way Home’s programs and mission here.
