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Renovations have begun on the HOPE House, a new sober living center that will be located at 1813 Magnolia Ave. in Buena Vista.
It is being developed by Rockbridge Recovery; an organization dedicated to supporting area residents committed to breaking free of substance use disorders.
Sober living homes serve as a critical resource between addiction treatment and regular life, offering a safe, reliable, affordable transition point for residents. A sober living home is a place where residents stay as part of their recovery and HOPE House will be the first one in Rockbridge County. Sober living houses aim to help individuals sustain long-term recovery, develop independence in managing their recovery and get back to leading a full life.
One of those supporting the work of the HOPE House is new Buena Vista Police Chief Wayne Handley, who visited the worksite this month with City Manager Jason Tyree.
“Rather than placing those early in recovery into an unstable situation, going from one extreme environment to another, sober living provides a muchneeded structure and accountability system while residents learn how to live a sober life,” said Handley. “The slow, cautious integration back into everyday life is critical as residents become exposed to former triggers that are absent in the treatment center environment.”
While new to the role of police chief here, Handley has extensive experience with addiction counseling, both with activeduty military and first responders, during his doctoral studies in mental health counseling. In addition to starting a mental health counseling clinic in Norfolk, he spent more than two years counseling persons with addictions to drugs and alcohol and understands the nuances of recovery as well as the importance of a stable living environment to the longterm recovery process.
When it opens in early 2024, HOPE House will operate a peer-led, six-month recovery program open to anyone seeking addiction recovery. Rockbridge Recovery currently operates a center located at 119 E. 28th St. in Buena Vista offering help and support to all members of the community.
A common misconception is that sober living homes are similar to treatment centers, said a spokeswoman. In reality, these homes are places where individuals who are already sober go to transition back into their lives. They are not a place for those who are actively addicted or detoxing. The sober living home is the next step after the recovery program, dedicated to helping people take back their lives after their addiction recovery.
The house will operate according to established structures and guidelines that outline residents’ attendance at meetings, testing requirements, and monitoring. The house will be staffed around the clock by peer support recovery specialists - select likeminded individuals who understand the hardships and struggles associated with addiction recovery. These peers will help with accountability during the resident’s sobriety journey.
At HOPE House, prospective residents will go through a screening process before acceptance. All residents must be employed full-time and, most importantly, their stay is contingent upon staying sober. Residents who break their sobriety or do not follow the strict rules of the house will have to leave immediately.
“People living in the HOPE House pose far less risk to this city than all the active addiction hiding in plain sight. The Buena Vista Police Department gets called out for overdoses and alcohol- related issues often. Underage drinking and drug use and drunk driving are well-known issues,” said Lori Turner, executive director of the Community Foundation, fiscal sponsor of the HOPE House project.
In the past 12 months, the Buena Vista Police Department has made 107 arrests for narcotics use, possession and/or distribution. This does not account for the associated charges that can sometimes come along with narcotic use, such as larcenies, gun possession charges, or childrelated abuse and neglect.
“In sober living homes, people learn the skills sets and are provided with the tools to become safe members of their community. People in recovery — including the people who run and live in sober housing — are the folks we should be embracing in our community,” Turner said. “Our goal is that the HOPE House does exactly that, helps provide hope for the members of our community that are actively working to address their issues instead of pretending like they don’t exist.”
With equal opportunity for all, HOPE House is committed to providing residents with a safe, sober living environment, quality counseling, ongoing education about the disease of alcoholism and other drug dependencies, an introduction to the recovery process and programs, and an individualized treatment program with opportunities leading to employment.
“Addiction is a crisis. It’s an epidemic in our world,” said Tyree, Buena Vista city manager. “We believe there are positive solutions to it, but we’re going to have to collaborate and work together. The HOPE House is a positive step towards accomplishing those goals.”
Organizers of HOPE House are planning a community forum and round table meetings before opening where citizens can ask questions and have their concerns addressed. The house will also have a soft opening to work out any issues before ramping up to maximum occupancy.
“Our community feeling safe is a key priority,” said Turner. “The HOPE House advisory committee is working hard to make sure that precautions are in place. Working closely with BVPD and Chief Handley is a key component of the plan.”
For those would like to contribute to the HOPE House Project, checks can be mailed to the Community Foundation, P.O. Box 20, Lexington, VA 24450 or send an email to [email protected].
Anyone interested in services at Rockbridge Recovery or who is in need of recovery guidance can contact the director, Bobby Slagle, at director@rrhopehouse. org.
