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Pathways opens Hartford sober living house; staff describe program rules, child visitation plan
Summary
Pathways representatives and county staff described the new Hartford sober-living home, daily operations, rules for residents, and plans to allow children to stay with parents in some cases as referrals ramp up.
Pathways representatives briefed Washington County Health & Human Services on June 25 about the Hartford sober-living house that opened in March and the operator’s plans to accept parents with children as demand grows.
Susan (Sue) Beatty, identifying herself as “from Pathways,” said the Hartford house is one of about 11 houses her organization manages statewide and that the unit in Hartford is currently in an early stage: one adult resident is in place, another resident moved to a higher level of care, and Pathways has been deliberately pacing admissions to preserve beds for county residents.
Beatty described typical resident expectations and monitoring: curfews (10 p.m. weekdays, 11 p.m. weekends, with exceptions for third-shift workers), breathalyzer and urine testing, supervised overnight passes (including an AirTag for location checks and a breathalyzer sent for remote testing), and a 60-day waiting period before residents may request vehicle access. She said residents usually participate in recovery-oriented activities, can work and pay their own rent, attend weekly house meetings, and are matched with a “buddy” for the first 10 days.
Beatty said Pathways is beginning to develop protocols to allow children to reside with parents in the house, and the operator plans to coordinate with Ada House and other local programs to reuse existing child-safety procedures rather than creating an entirely new protocol. She said age-appropriate family groups exist for older children (about age 12 and up) to join family-focused recovery and healing activities.
County staff and supervisors discussed outreach and referrals. Julie (county staff) said the county awarded a grant in January and that county staff plan to promote the service in the county executive’s July newsletter; Pathways said initial outreach has been via social media and local networking and that the operator plans flyers at food pantries and other community sites to expand referrals.
Why it matters: The Hartford house offers local capacity for adults in recovery and — increasingly — a shelter model that keeps parents and children together, which county staff and the operator said may reduce travel burdens and improve family continuity of care.
Looking ahead: Pathways and county staff said they expect referrals to grow with outreach; the operator asked providers and supervisors to share information in their networks.
