Avenues Recovery Center at Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, an Avenues Recovery Location

Welcome to Avenues Recovery Center at Fort Wayne, where we’ll help you recover for good — with innovative treatment and a community that’s with you forever.

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About Us

Avenues Recovery Center at Fort Wayne is a modern, hotel-like drug and alcohol rehabilitation and addiction treatment center located in the heart of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Utilizing the latest evidence-based practices and community-centered care, Avenues offers an unusually successful clinical protocol that has helped 95% of our community achieve lasting sobriety.

Where You’ll Stay

Inpatient rehab treatment is scientifically proven to yield the best and most sustainable results. When attending drug and alcohol rehab in a safe, structured, and supportive environment, you are away from any toxic living situations and can consistently develop healthy recovery skills. 

While at Avenues Fort Wayne rehab center, you’ll receive treatment, eat, sleep, socialize, and relax in our beautiful, expansive 100-bed facility. We've brought all services under one roof so you experience the greatest ease and convenience as you begin your recovery journey! 

  • Contemporary, spacious accommodations
  • Light-filled, airy lounges and recreational areas
  • On-Site Laundromat
  • State-of-the-Art Gym
  • Gourmet, Nutritious Meals
  • Local Transportation 


Avenues also partners with step-down sober living apartments for clients who are post-treatment but can still benefit from additional structure and support. 

What You’ll Do

If you need detox upon arrival, your first few days here will be spent in our comfortable drug and alcohol detox center. Once you’re safely detoxed, your days will be filled with individual therapy, interactive group sessions, stimulating classes and workshops, and fun recovery-focused activities. All the while, you’ll be embraced by a warm and professional staff and loving community of like-minded individuals, and grow stronger in your sobriety each day.  

  • Targeted Individual Therapy
  • Interactive Group Sessions
  • Family and Couple Counseling
  • 12-Step Based Program
  • Daily Community Meetings - AA, NA, CA, HA
  • Alternative Therapies
  • Art, Music, Yoga, Nature, and Meditation

Treatment Modalities

At Avenues Recovery Center at Fort Wayne, one of our core beliefs is that each person heals differently. We’ve done away with template treatment, and instead choose from a selection of proven therapy modalities to create a personalized treatment plan for you. Our multifaceted team will get to the core of your addiction, identifying trauma and triggers - and enabling you to heal mind, body, and soul. 

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Avenues Recovery Center at Fort Wayne

Inpatient and Outpatient Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Fort Wayne, Indiana

2626 Fairfield Ave | Fort Wayne, Indiana 46807
AdmissionsIN@avenuesrecovery.com

Give us a call! 260-235-5900

Cities & regions we serve

New Haven, IN Auburn, IN Decatur, IN Huntington, IN Bluffton, IN Kendallville, IN Van Wert, OH Warsaw, IN Angola, IN Wabash, IN Defiance, OH Marion, IN Celina, OH Goshen, IN Sturgis, MI Garrett Albion Columbia City Anderson Huntington
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Why Avenues

Because you’re going to have bad days.

(We all do!) And we won’t let you give up.

No-giving-up
policy

We’re in this with you, no matter how hard it is.

Local
facilities

So you can bring your healing back home.

Evidence-based
treatment

A toolbox of treatments — customized to your needs.

Dual diagnosis
treatment

Get answers & support for both your physical & emotional health.

Real world
support

Job retraining, relationship counseling, and more.

Incredible alumni program

So you can stay sober — and love the rest of your life.

Our clients are our heroes.

The Avenues Recovery Center at Fort Wayne Team

Staffed with a full-time physician, psychiatrist, and licensed counselors, the Avenues Recovery team is warm, loving, and acutely qualified to help you!

Whitney Straight

Regional Executive Director
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Whitney Straight is the Executive Director at Avenues Recovery Fort Wayne, and has worked in the addiction field for over 15 years. She serves on several statewide and community boards relating to addiction recovery and the communities they serve. Whitney has an MBA, MDiv, and master’s in Mental Health Counseling and bachelor's of Science in Addiction Counseling. In her spare time, Whitney enjoys weightlifting, contact sports, and traveling adventures with her husband, Robert. They have three children aged eight, six, and two, respectively. 

Jonathan Elia

Executive Director
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Jonathan Elia is the Executive Director at Avenues Recovery of Fort Wayne. He was born and raised on the coast of Connecticut in a town called East Lyme. Jonathan made the move to Fort Wayne with his girlfriend and 3 lovely dogs and is excited to begin his journey working with Avenues Recovery. He strongly believes that recovery isn’t just about being sober, but also about finding happiness and joy in yourself and those around you. He is eternally grateful for the support of his amazing family and close group of friends. They have helped him reach the place where he is at. As someone in recovery himself, Jonathan looks forward to giving back to the recovery community.   

Tiffany Semons

Administrator
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Tiffany Semons was born and raised in Fort Wayne, IN, now serves as the administrator of Avenues Recovery Center at Fort Wayne. Tiffany studied business at Indiana Institute of Technology. Although she has yet to complete her degree, she seamlessly combines her business acumen with a deep passion for supporting individuals on their recovery journeys. Seeing the profound transformations that occur through recovery work has been both inspiring and humbling for her. Each success story strengthens her commitment, reinforcing her belief that recovery is not only possible but life-changing.

Outside of work, Tifany is a proud parent to two wonderful children. She enjoys traveling to new destinations, dining out to explore diverse cuisines, and spending quality time with family and friends.

Marissa Sauer, LMHC, LMFT

Clinical Director
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Marissa Sauer is the Clinical Director at Avenues Recovery of Fort Wayne.  She has her master's degree in Education from Indiana University and is licensed in Marriage and Family as well as Mental Health Counseling.  Marissa has presented in the community about complex trauma and how mental health providers can work more efficiently with clients. She is excited to continue to serve her community in this impactful role. Marissa enjoys group exercises, reading, traveling, and spending time with her husband.  

Holly Haft

Director of Nursing
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Holly Haft has been an impactful nurse in the mental health & addiction field for close to a decade. She received her ASN from Breckenridge School of Nursing and is furthering her education by pursuing a BSN at Purdue Northwest College. Holly served our country with distinction for 13 years in her position as an E5 Military policewoman in the United States Navy, and specialized in corrections.

Holly takes great pride in making our clients feel genuinely cared for. She is determined to help them realize that being addicted does not need to define them as a person and that recovery is possible.

Holly hails from Pasadena, California, and has made her home in Fort Wayne since 2011.

Lajoya Reed

Nurse Manager

April Ware

BHT Supervisor

Brad Snider

Primary Counselor
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Brad has worked as an addiction counselor for over two decades. In that time, he has changed countless lives and supported an untold number of recovery journeys. Although Brad originally intended to move on to other areas of mental health counseling, he has found his work in substance use disorders so rewarding that he just can’t leave it.  

Brad still draws inspiration from a card he received years ago from the mother of a client, thanking him “for giving my son back.”  He is driven by the idea that each individual life positively impacted by recovery impacts an entire family for the better.  

He is known for the ubiquitous Hawaiian shirts he wears to work every day. To Brad, Aloha and Malāma means love, respect, and reverence for each person.  

 “Every morning, I wrap myself in a shirt that represents love, to remind me not to personalize the resistance I encounter from people who are feeling down, afraid, or even hopeless.  I do it to remind myself to show them Aloha.”  

Curtjanna Ellis

Primary Counselor
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Curtjanna hold a master’s degree in Psychology, and has worked in the mental health field for seven years. In her spare time, she enjoys the outdoors and reading.  

Julia Kubek

Primary Counselor
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Julia has worked in addiction treatment for over five years and is currently a therapist at Avenues.  She has her CADAC II and is currently finishing a bachelor's of Science in Psychology at Purdue University Fort Wayne. Once completed, Julia plans to pursue a master’s in Social Work.  In long-term recovery herself, Julia recognizes that there are multiple pathways to recovery and that each person seeking lifelong recovery must be empowered to find what works for them. “You can’t keep dancing with the devil and ask why you’re still in hell,” is her favorite quote, and the message she tries to impart constantly to those under her care.  

In her free time, Julia enjoys adventuring with her fiancé and their three dogs. 

Stephanie McKenzie

Primary Counselor
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Born and raised in Sturgis, Michigan, Stephanie McKenzie graduated from the University of Saint Francis in 1997.  She earned her CADAC in April 2022 and has been with ARC since October 2021.

As a Gold Star Wife, Stephanie has proudly served Allen County and surrounding communities as a Veteran Advocate since the death of her Marine husband in 2016.

Stephanie enjoys her vintage jukebox, antiques, and spending time with her three children. She has called Fort Wayne, Indiana home since August 1993.

Samantha Smith

Primary Counselor
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Samantha has a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Psychology, recently obtained her CADAC II certification, and plans on getting her MSW someday in the future.

Working in the substance abuse field has been Samantha's dream ever since starting her undergrad, and her passion only grew as she walked through life and grew to see and experience the impact of addiction through the experiences of those closest to her. She feels that it is an absolute honor to work with this population and show them the kindness and compassion they deserve.

In Samantha's spare time she likes to binge-watch 15 seasons of Supernatural with her spunky black cat Azazel, as well as spend time reading all about serial killers and cold cases.

Terrel Brown

Primary Counselor
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Terrell has has served underprivileged communities for approximately 16 years, has worked in addiction treatment for three years, and is currently a therapist at Avenues. He received his master’s in Management with a Specialization in Strategic Management in 2010, and master’s in Clinical Addiction Counseling from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2021. He became a Licensed Clinical Addiction Counselor – Associate in 2022, and since January 2023 he has been working towards his Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate degree.

Terrel's theoretical orientation leans very heavily toward Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, especially Choice Theory/Reality Therapy. His approach is to inculcate the importance of fulfilling relationships and activities which produces a greater chance of long-term recovery and happiness. Terrel decided to work with this population because he has witnessed how addiction can rob individuals of their hopes, dreams, and happiness.

His favorite quote is, “Once individuals recognize their role in creating their own life predicament, they also realize that they, and only they, have the power to change that situation” by Irvin D. Yalom. He enjoys spending time with his wife, family, and his dog Daisy.

Sarah Sims

Primary Counselor
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Sarah Sims was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  She graduated from Ball State University with her Bachelor's degree in social work, and currently holds her CADACII certification.  While substance abuse treatment was not her originally her field of choice, she quickly became involved in those suffering from addiction and learned from each experience. 

Sarah loved learning more about how addiction affects the brain, and the many possible pathways to healing.  Her experience and perspective has been strongly influenced by the patients she has worked with over the past years, and she has a diverse view of the addiction and recovery field.  In her personal life, Sarah is involved in adaptive sports, including wheelchair basketball and adaptive skiing.  She enjoys working out and spending time in the great outdoors too!

Linda Thompson

Primary Counselor
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Linda Thompson is a born and bred Fort Wayne girl.  She attended IPFW and California State University Dominguez Hills, where she earned her Master's degree in Social Work.   

Linda's personal journey to recovery began in 1987, and she became involved in the field of recovery around 1988, while working alongside her future husband in his nonprofit organization, 'Building on Sobriety". In 1990, Linda established 'Pathways to Your Future', providing shelter for homeless individuals battling alcoholism and addiction. Her dedication and passion for this cause have remained steadfast over the years, grounded in her belief of staying sober one day at a time and prioritizing faith in God.

Outside of her work, Linda finds joy in traveling, having explored destinations like Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Jamaica, and various states within the US. While the pandemic temporarily halted her travels, she eagerly anticipates resuming her adventures, with Ghana being her dream destination. Additionally, Linda is deeply passionate about learning and teaching African American history and culture, finding fulfillment in sharing knowledge and fostering understanding of this rich heritage.

Stefany Tyree

Primary Counselor
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Stefany Tyree, a native of Fort Wayne, holds multiple master's degrees earned through Indiana Tech and WGU. With a deep-seated passion for helping others, she is committed to making a positive impact on those around her. Having witnessed the struggles of family and friends with addiction, Stefany is determined to contribute to a brighter future for individuals in her community, believing that authentic connections are instrumental in the recovery journey.

Looking ahead, Stefany plans to pursue another master's degree to enhance her ability to support clients at Avenues Fort Wayne. Beyond her professional endeavors, Stefany finds fulfillment in motherhood, cherishing her role as a parent to a wonderful daughter who is her world. She enjoys exploring new destinations through travel and treasures moments spent with her family.

Theresa Blackman

Primary Counselor

Lee Funkhouse

Primary Counselor
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Lee Funkhouser hails from Redkey, Indiana. He has worked at Avenues Recovery Center for over two years, moving from the role of Group Facilitator to Primary Therapist. He is a graduate of Anderson University, with a Bachelor's degree in business administration as well as an Associate's degree in Human Services and Addiction Studies. 

Lee's Higher Power has given him the opportunity to regain 30 years of life lost to addiction. He has been able to turn every painful experience into a positive by going from drug dealer to therapist, and beacon of hope and light.  The therapeutic value of one addict helping another addict is unparalleled, and it is his wish to be of help to another .

Demonstrating his constant commitment to providing gold-standard, highly effective services to his clients, Lee is currently working towards receiving his Master’s degree in social work. Outside of Avenues, Lee runs several recovery meetings (Brianna's Hope, AA, and NA), and is an active member in the recovery community.  When he is not working, attending school, or volunteering at different organizations, Lee enjoys spending time with his family, friends, playing guitar, and losing himself in art.

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AA Meetings, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Take your recovery with you,
wherever you go.

Upon Awakening Group

427 3rd Street
Fort Wayne, IN 46808

11th Step Meditation Fort Wayne

1118 Spring Street
Fort Wayne, IN 46808
 

Al Anon Churubusco UMC

750 N Main Street
Churubusco, IN
46723

Cedar Creek Group

7716 N County Line Road East
Auburn, IN 46706

Big Book Study Auburn

1103 S Jackson Street
Auburn, IN 46706
 

Living Sober Auburn

907 N Main Street
Auburn, IN 46706

12 and 12 Group

204 N Main Street
Columbia City, IN 46725
 

Community Center Avilla

116 W Albion Street
Avilla,
IN 46710
 

Closed AA Albion

210 N Orange Street
Albion, IN 46701

Closed AA Butler

173 W Oak Street
Butler, IN 46721

EXPLORE OUR ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS

Detox
Program

This program is for individuals who require medical detox before beginning their recovery journey.

Residential
Treatment

Our inpatient treatment facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana offers a safe, structured environment for you to heal and rebuild.

Outpatient
Treatment

Our Fort Wayne outpatient rehab program provides weekly therapy sessions for post-treatment individuals.

Alumni
Program

Our alumni program is a warm sober support network - part emotional support, part family, part party.

How to Pay for Rehab in Fort Wayne

Avenues Recovery Center at Fort Wayne accepts most insurances as well as private pay. We are in-network with all of the following insurances:

Anthem BlueCross
Beacon
Carleon
CareSource
Encore Health Network
First Health
Humana
Med Partners
Lutheran Preferred
Three Rivers
MHS
Ambetter
Allwell
PHP
Praxis Health Network
Tricare
Optum
VA Community Care Network
Anthem
MDwise

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What
happens
next?

We'll get on a call, assess your health history, and verify your insurance. Today is Day 1. We can't wait to celebrate Day 1000 with you!

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