Gunnison Sanctuary Housing (GSH) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in early 2023 to provide sober living environments in an area where the economy and cultural norms make it an enormously challenging to do so, having successfully come up with a uniquely compassionate solution. Within just one year, GSH raised enough capital to purchase a home (now owned debt-free due to the generosity of our donors) which now provides a sober living environment in Gunnison County. The home, leased to Oxford House (https://www.oxfordhouse.org/) for 3 years, operates under their charter and rules as a transitional home for 6-8 men in recovery until they are ready to move to permanent self-sufficient housing. Oxford House, with a 50-year track record, leases thousands of sober living homes nationwide and reports very low relapse rates.
However, the purchase of this sober living home is only step one - we still need to raise significant capital to ensure long-term success to meet the demands of affordable sober living in the Gunnison Valley. The remaining capital needs for this home include three remodeling projects, prioritizing functionality to make it more suitable for 6-8 men to share. This includes adding a third bathroom and expanding the kitchen and storage space with the estimated project cost ranging from $3,500 to $14,000 for each project.
Beyond those improvements to the current home, we believe that acquiring a property for women in recovery from SUD, including those with children, is critically important and equitable. Having recently paid off the loan on the current home (less than a year after its purchase), we now intend to use the rental income from this home to lease or purchase a home suitable to provide a sober living environment for women, including those with children.
To provide supportive, affordable sober living environment(s) in Gunnison County for those in recovery from substance use disorder.
Like many beautiful mountainous rural areas of Colorado, Gunnison Valley’s outdoor tourist driven economy presents unique challenges. The sky-rocketing cost of real estate, the lack of affordable housing options, and the highly variable seasonal income puts a tremendous amount of pressure on full-time residents. Additionally, community norms include a high-adrenaline culture which encourages the abuse of substances (e.g., alcohol). A recent local study estimates up to 20% of Gunnison County residents abuse alcohol and up to 15% abuse other substances.
While Gunnison County has built a tremendous amount of support in the last several years to address Substance Use Disorder (SUD), one major gap continues to be the lack of sober living options. It is well established that a sober living environment is essential for providing the time, recovery-friendly space, and peer support needed to achieve the long-term behavior change that supports recovery without relapse. Yet people in recovery from SUD often face insurmountable odds in finding affordable housing, such as poor or no rental references, recent homelessness, joblessness, criminal history – all of which are results of past behavior associated with their SUD, even if they are now in recovery.
As an organization, GSH provides a uniquely creative way to solve what up until now has been an intractable problem in rural Colorado areas, despite seemingly insurmountable economic challenges - by marshaling a partnership of individual donors (over $500K to-date), grants (almost $30K of local grant funding to-date), and contributions from charitable entities (a total of $90K to-date). We humbly ask for your support to increase our capacity and help us achieve our expansive vision to meet the needs for sober living options in rural Gunnison County, while also setting an example of how this type of crucial recovery support could be created in similar rural areas with tourist-driven, seasonal economies.
Organization name
Gunnison Sanctuary Housing
2023
Tax id (EIN)
92-2491626
Category
Housing & Shelter, Community Improvement & Capacity Building, Mental Health & Crisis Intervention, Public & Societal Benefit
Organization Size
Small Organization
Address
PO BOX 718Gunnison County, CO, US