Grant moves Family Engagement Center initiative from planning to implementation, expanding access to outpatient treatment and family supports
Indianapolis — Hope Academy has launched its Family Engagement Center following a $2 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. The funding enables Hope Academy, Indiana’s only recovery high school, to implement and scale a coordinated outpatient treatment and family engagement model addressing adolescent substance use disorder.
In October 2025, Hope Academy announced plans to develop the Family Engagement Center following initial planning support from Lilly Endowment through its Marion County K-12 Public Schools Initiative. This new grant funding supports full implementation and expansion of the initiative across Marion County over the next five years.
As part of the model, Hope Academy provides space and coordinates family engagement supports, while The Willow Center, a certified outpatient behavioral health provider, delivers onsite clinical services, including assessments, treatment planning, and intensive outpatient programming with integrated family education.
“Hope Academy is grateful for Lilly Endowment’s continued support, which enables us to address a critical gap in Indiana’s adolescent treatment system,” said Rachelle Gardner, Executive Director of Hope Academy. “Every day, we see teens and families struggle to access care. By integrating treatment, family engagement, and education, we are building a model that provides long-term, holistic support to teens and their caregivers.”
Adolescent substance use treatment options remain limited. Only 354 residential programs operate nationwide, with none in Indiana. High costs and limited Medicaid acceptance further restrict access. The Family Engagement Center is designed to reduce those barriers by offering outpatient services that can be billed through insurance when eligible and delivered in a more accessible, school-based setting.
The outpatient program launched this month with Hope Academy students, marking the first phase of implementation. Services are expected to expand to adolescents across Marion County over the summer and into next academic year as the model scales.
Hope Academy’s data show that students with 200 or more days of sobriety experience a more than 40% increase in grade point average and improved attendance rates. By embedding outpatient treatment within an educational setting and integrating family engagement into the recovery process, the initiative aims to strengthen both recovery and academic outcomes for teens and their families.
Families interested in participating in future programming may contact Hope Academy at info@hopeacademyrhs.org to learn more about eligibility and timelines.