INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Nonprofits across the state, like We Bloom in downtown Indianapolis, are bracing for the impact of state budget cuts.

The group says the cuts account for about 50% of its operating budget.

Most of those funds go towards running the Recovery Café Indy, which connects people with resources for mental health, substance use and transitioning for life after prison, among other things.

It’s part of a greater network of 20 other Recovery Cafés in Indiana. In total, they are all slated to lose $2 million.

We Bloom Human Resources & Operations Generalist Te’Naia Jackson says they now turning to the community to help keep their programs going.

“We want to make sure that we can continue to grow,” Jackson said.

The Recovery Café is on the first floor of the nonprofit’s recently acquired building. It hosts workshops, peer-led “recovery circles” and other programs for people to get on that road to recovery.

Rhiannon Clayton manages the café and says it doesn’t matter what a person is going through, they can help connect them to the right resources.

“We believe everyone’s recovering from something,” Clayton said. “Our number one priority is getting to know you as a human, not necessarily you as any mistakes or things that have happened to you.”

Reggie Scruggs started his journey to recovery last February.

“Everybody welcomed me,” Scruggs said. “They didn’t ask, ‘Where you come from? What do you want?’ They just said, ‘Sign in.’”

He first came to the group after spending nearly 40 years in prison.

Scruggs is now a leader in the group, looking to inspire others who were once in his shoes.

“Coming here allowed me to take my focus off of that situation,” Scruggs said. “And turn my focus into giving back because I’ve all my life I took … all the recovery cafe staff that’s here play a pivotal part in who I am right now.”

The funding cuts come as We Bloom is in the middle of renovating its new building just southeast of Lucas Oil Stadium.

Eventually, it will also have space for other nonprofits on the second floor and youth programming on the third floor.

Jackson says it’s a pivotal time for the group.

“We’ve been trying really hard and working hard to build new relationships,” Jackson said. “So that even though we are having that deficit from our government funding, that we can continue to operate.”

Jackson is hopeful the community can help them get through the snags in funding, allowing them to continue to bloom.

“(We want to) reach everyone who wants to be a part of this program,” Jackson said. “Everyone who wants to be in recovery.”

The Recovery Café Indy is hosting an open house for people who work with others in need of recovery services and who want to support their mission.

It will be from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday. For more information, click here.

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