Coffee shop aimed to help those with addiction coming to Coulee Recovery Center

The Coulee Recovery Center (CRC) could be a place for a hot cup of coffee within a few months.

The La Crosse Community Foundation gave $70,000 to the Vernon Area Rehab Center so it could build the shop in conjunction with the CRC.

CRC executive director Cheryl Hancock said it’s a service that’s been on the future project list for awhile.

“We talked to people who visit our facility at the old site and asked them about things they’d like to see in the building, and a coffee shop, a place to have fellowship came up from the very beginning,” she said.

Workers at the shop would be those in recovery, allowing them to learn how to be a barista. The jjob would also help resume building, along with interview skills.

Making employment in the shop part of their programming to clients may help them outside of the facility, as well.

“For people who don’t have a good recent history, or may even have a criminal history related to their addiction,” Hancock said, “We can go and pitch their employ-ability skills to employers in the area.”

According to Hancock, a stable job can be important for people just starting out in recovery from substance abuse.

Staff at the recovery center have identified an area in the building that would work for a coffee shop, and they are anticipating an opening in April.