Oct 20, 2019 5 min read

Waynesburg’s two Oxford houses, which provide transitional housing for those recovering from addiction, might have to shut down.

The homes have high success rates, according to Bob Terry, board member for Steps Inside, a nonprofit that assured the Oxford House project was up and running.

However, the homes are self-sustained and resources are dwindling.

“It’s a simple case of overtime, deaths, illnesses and life changes reducing our ability to provide what’s needed,” he said. “People get burnt out. You use up the volunteers. We just can’t do it much longer.”

The houses would normally be maintained by paid outreach workers from Oxford House Inc., but in Greene County they’re run by volunteers from the community because of lack of funding, Terry said.

“The learning curve of volunteers along with their turnover has been one cause of inconsistencies in operations,” states a recent report on Greene’s Oxford Houses. “Another has been the normal changeover in residents, which, when combined with the turnover of volunteers, resulted in inconsistencies in the normal operations.”

The Oxford House residents pay rent, Terry said, but when there is a lack of volunteers to work in the homes, that results in fewer residents and, ultimately, fewer rent checks returned to Steps Inside.

“We do these fundraisers to help out, but it’s just not enough,” said Ralph Bouchard, one of Steps Inside’s founders and current treasurer.

Both Terry and Bouchard agree: the houses will likely move away from and operate independent of Oxford House Inc. The goal is to secure state funding.

According to Bouchard, the houses have Oxford charters, but Oxford House Inc. is understanding and supportive of Steps Inside as it moves forward.

“In Greene County we’re not getting any help from Oxford House (Inc.) as it is so we’re going to have to go with the state requirements and make some changes to our current Oxford House plan which isn’t a problem,” Bouchard said. “Oxford House is OK with that.”

Bouchard referred to the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP), which is developing a funding program for drug and alcohol recovery houses.

This program would provide Waynesburg’s Oxford Houses with the funding needed to keep the doors open, Terry said.

According to Bouchard, DDAP is working to get this new program operational soon. He said he expects a finalized list of requirements by January 2020 and can quickly alter the Oxford model to meet those requirements. One requirement will likely be a mandatory house manager, a role the Oxford House model doesn’t have.

Technicalities aside, Terry said, the hard part, funding start-up expenses, is over. All the homes need to do is maintain what Steps Inside members instituted in 2014.

“We just don’t have the money, and the volunteers are tired,” Bouchard said. “We’re just trying to keep our head above water until that (DDAP) decision comes out or until someone else comes in to take over these houses.”

Steps Inside has, for more than 15 years, helped individuals recovering from drug and alcohol abuse, Terry said. The nonprofit formed a Community Recovery Committee six years ago and the Oxford Houses were the committee’s first projects.

“We opened a men’s and then a women’s house,” Terry said. “It took many donations and fundraisers to get the nearly $100K for furnishing and renting two houses in downtown Waynesburg.”

Though they’ll likely move away from the Oxford House model, Terry said it’s proven successful.

“After spending considerable time gathering information, Oxford Houses were the only evidence-based recovery housing, had zero tolerance for drug and alcohol use, were self-supporting after start-up and studies showed had a five times greater success rate than all other types of recovery houses,” Terry said.

On Nov. 1, 2014, the Cumberland Oxford House for men opened its doors. Approximately $40,000 from private donations funded the project and volunteers gave 2,500 hours of labor to get the rental house in acceptable condition, Terry said.

Two years later, the Bird Sisters Oxford House for women opened Jan. 1, with similar costs and labor.

Terry said both homes are fully furnished. The Bird Sisters home currently has eight residents and the Cumberland home houses six.

“Bird Sister’s house was named after a pair of sisters who died of overdoses before the female Oxford House could be set up,” Terry said. “Besides raising funds our volunteers donated thousands of hours to prepare the rentals, recruit qualified residents and perform the other needs that arose.”

Bouchard said maintaining the homes is hard work, but a critical resource in Greene County.

“We watched hundreds of residents pass through the doors on their way to achieve productive lives without the use of drugs or alcohol,” Terry said, noting both houses have never had law enforcement agencies summoned for any disturbances or violations.

For more information on volunteering with the Oxford House program, call Bob Terry at 724-627-0363.