Georgia’s Friends: Women’s Recovery House

In 2006, a dear friend, Georgia Barbour, died in a local jail. She was a teacher, an artist, a mother, a wife, and an ex-Peace Corps volunteer. She also was an alcoholic and a prescription drug abuser. Her disease dated back for years, and she desperately needed a halfway house environment.

A month after Georgia’s death, her friends and some professionals in the field of rehabilitation formed a group to try to address this need. They began planning a halfway house for women ex-offenders who are recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. There is currently no program offering extended care for women in the Charlottesville/Albemarle area. Five houses exist for men.

We have found a 20 bed house available to rent for $5,000 monthly with an option of leasing to buy. It is zoned for multiple residents. There is a plan in place to staff this residence with supervisors and help from Region Ten and OAR. FOCUS counselors have committed to offering classes. The jail’s Reentry Program will also work closely with the program. As part of their recovery program, the women will be expected to find jobs and to contribute to the support of the house. Attendance at Twelve Step meetings and participating in recommended classes, such as anger management, growth in self esteem, parenting and financial management will be mandatory for the women as well as addiction treatment, counseling, and medical and social services care.


The twin goals of the Women’s Recovery House are (1) to benefit individual women being released from jail by providing them with a supportive 3-12 month residential experience where they can continue work on their recovery and life skills in an environment free of alcohol and other addictive drugs, and (2) to benefit the local community by helping these women successfully re-enter society, thus avoiding additional costly treatment and re-incarceration, which runs about $40,000 a year per woman. Without such a program, the relapse rate is over 90%.

Funding will make it possible to set up the house and hire the supervisors. With your support, the house can open next year and begin offering hope to these women who are often forgotten by those of us who don’t struggle with this affliction.

For more information, please contact:
 Liz Emrey at 434-872-0800, Lizemrey@yahoo.com or
Dr. Dorothy Tompkins at 434-923-8466,dorothytompkins@mac.com