The Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress in Columbus hopes to open the first of a series of sober living transitional homes by mid-June.
The idea of the homes is to allow those who have completed a substance abuse program to have time to build a support network, and to establish job and financial stability amid a structured environment while in the initial stages of recovery — all to better ensure long-term success of remaining free of substance abuse.
Length of a stay varies greatly, according to agencies such as the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Some national medical or psychology journals have reported the average stay to be between five months to a year.
The local implementation of the sober living home concept has been three years on the making, said Doug Leonard, ASAP executive director. He acknowledged that such an element of recovery assistance is badly needed.
“Its absence is nearing a crisis,” Leonard said.
Those staying in a facility will be under the supervision of a house manager — “someone in recovery who truly understands what that’s about” — making certain that residents are regularly drug-tested, holding a job, handling assigned duties within the home, attending recovery support meetings and such, Leonard said. Residents also will have to pay a monthly fee that could be in the range of $500 or more, according to Leonard.
Those payments will help cover the costs of a home’s upkeep and operation.
“We’re hoping that will make it at least a break-even proposition,” Leonard said. “But we’re also seeking some philanthropic support.”
For complete coverage and the full story, see Friday’s Republic.
