Group seeks location for women's recovery house

A local organization formed to create a recovery house for women who have already undergone substance abuse treatment is eyeing an Athens County-owned building as a possible location.

Mary Lynn St. Lawrence and other members of Women for Recovery met Thursday with the Athens County Commissioners to ask their support in efforts to establish a women's recovery house, including help in finding a location for the facility.

The group has looked at the former Athens County Job and Family Services building on Connett Road in The Plains.

"We did, and we like it a lot," St. Lawrence said.

The building was originally constructed as an assisted living center, and Women for Recovery members said a major attraction is that each of the rooms has a bathroom and the building is close to other services, such as a bus route and health care.

"We're very interested in that specific location, and pretty open to doing whatever we would have to do organizationally to make that happen," one member of the group said.

Commission President Lenny Eliason said there is an issue that needs to be addressed before the commissioners can consider leasing the building to the group. It was purchased by the county with federal money, and the commissioners have been told that if it is not put to a federally approved use the county will have to pay back the money. Eliason said it's about $350,000.

He said the commissioners need to find out if what Women for Recovery is proposing would be a federally approved use.

"We'll have that discussion and get back to you as soon as we can," Eliason told the group.

Group members said that a key to recovery is for women who have undergone treatment to be in an environment that is going to help them succeed, rather than immediately returning to the environment in which they abused alcohol or drugs.

There is no such facility locally for women, they said.

"The women who come to us will have to be sober and they will have to want sober living, personal responsibility and to be involved in some kind of a recovery program, 12-step program," St. Lawrence said.

In addition to programming that would help with their recovery, the facility would also help the women learn life skills.

"The object is after a number of months they will move on," St. Lawrence said.

Women for Recovery grew out of discussions that began last June. The group has bylaws, policies for operating a house and an intake procedure, and will be seeking 501©(3) status so that it can accept tax-deductible donations. St. Lawrence said there have been discussions with the 317 Board about getting startup funding.

Although St. Lawrence talked about what the recovery house would be, she also talked about what it would not be.

It will not be a treatment facility, halfway house, homeless shelter or a pre-release center. Some of the women could have a felony or misdemeanor record, but the house would not accept violent offenders, sex offenders or people who have offended within 500 yards of a school or daycare center. The house would be staffed 24 hours a day.

The group members said they see the house as supporting a reduction in recidivism, contributing to a reduction in mental health symptoms, contributing to the social functioning of the women and making the community safer.

"We hope that what people will see from this is that we're contributing to the safety of the community as well as to the rehabilitation of these people," St. Lawrence said.