Pasos de Vida in Arroyo Grande threw open the doors Tuesday to its new transition home for mothers who are recovering from substance abuse.

The home, called Anna's House, can accommodate five women and their children for six months, to provide the family with time to find permanent housing and jobs and make a transition back into the community, said Cherri Neal, director of the nonprofit group's drug and alcohol services.

“This is very important for the girls, because when they leave the (treatment) program they don't have jobs or anywhere to live,” Neal said. “A lot of women have been asking for this kind of home.”

The agency allowed reporters and photographers to see Anna's House on Tuesday. It has been operating just since Friday.

The house is in the Shady Oaks area of rural Arroyo Grande. The address is not being publicized because of confidentiality issues associated with substance abuse.

All of the women living in the home have graduated from Pasos de Vida's nine-to-12-month residential treatment program for substance abuse, which is on the same property as Anna's House.

The extensive treatment program, which began in 1995, focuses on reducing the incidence of alcohol or drug use, increasing the standard of living and reunifying the family unit through counseling, parenting classes and child development therapy.

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Once women complete the classes and are ready to live on their own, they will be able to move into Anna's House while they get their feet on the ground. The women will be required to pay all of their own bills while they live on the property, which is an important first step in independent living, Neal said.

The home was named Anna's House after a relative of George Hoag, whose George Hoag Family Foundation is a major donor to the project, Neal said.

For more information, call 481-2505, Ext. 209.

Randi Block can be reached at 347-4580 or rblock@santamaria

times.com.

August 2, 2006