GROWING NEW LIVES –

May 5, 2023 – Erin Helms started Ellsworth Acres when she noticed that addiction recovery services did not address the person as a whole. She was working as a counselor at a treatment center in Ohio and felt that there was something missing from the traditional treatment model. 

In 2014, she opened her first recovery house in Lakewood to provide women with holistic support, both physically and emotionally. She saw a need for a workforce development program for women and created a paid training program. She also saw that agriculture offered so many tangible skills for employment. Women can learn budgeting, planning, science, maintenance, record-keeping, bookkeeping, marketing, research and customer service.

Farming is just like recovering, Helms said. Nothing is done quickly. Nurturing growth is vital, and it’s important to always be present.

“You have to give yourself time when things are out of your control,” she said. “It’s just like farming. We can’t predict what will happen.”

Renee Rosenbaum has been on the farm for almost a year. She has been through more than 10 recovery programs and feels like she has found her place in life at Ellsworth Acres.

“This is the longest I’ve ever had in recovery, and I’m still finding my journey. It’s difficult to say why things clicked, but I’m putting in the work,” she said.

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