WHEAT RIDGE, Colo.— A first-of-its-kind apartment complex in Colorado with the goal of helping people achieve lasting drug and alcohol recovery is officially up and running now. It’s called Sober Apartment Living, or SAL.
Craig Zoellner and his wife are the brains behind SAL, which stemmed from their daughter’s recovery journey. The nonprofit has two locations: one in Scottsdale, Arizona, which has been around about six years, and the newest in Wheat Ridge.
“When she finished her treatment program, there were very limited options for what happens next,” Zoellner explained. “Try to go out on your own when you’ve just finished a treatment program, which is very difficult to do, or go into a sober living house, which is essentially a halfway house that has 10 to 12 people living in a four- or five-bedroom house.”
The couple came up with the idea of sober apartment living. It’s a place for people in recovery that feels like the real world. As an independent-living apartment complex, it is fully furnished and offers social and community service activities and support resources in a community-oriented environment.
“We’re trying to get folks to make a six-month commitment, and preferably as much as 12 so they get really solid in their sobriety,” Zoellner said.
Residents must hold down a job and are required to pay rent. As of Thursday, about 47 people live at SAL in Wheat Ridge, but it can accommodate up to 90 residents once remodeling is finished in the next couple of months. Zoellner said SAL is unique and currently the only housing of its kind in Colorado.
“Everything else is sober houses," he said. "It’s a unique model. And same thing in Arizona, and as far as we know, nationally."
More than 1,000 people have come through the Arizona facility, according to Zoellner. He said it has seen a relapse rate of just 12%.
Tish Castillo, 36, moved into SAL’s Wheat Ridge location in June after a long addiction battle.
“My experience has been amazing. I love it here at SAL,” she said. “When I was 13 years old, I was introduced to heavy drugs. I didn’t become a hard drinker until I was about 27 years old.”
She has been sober for about eight months now, but it came after many ups and downs. She had several hospital visits, went through recovery, and lost her kids.
Now, she hopes she can become one of SAL’s success stories. She is in the process of rebuilding her relationship with her kids.
“I feel really confident," Castillo said. "I don’t have any urges to want to drink anymore. I have a lot of support. SAL is my family, and I feel pretty strongly in my sobriety."
Zoellner said that to qualify for SAL, you must stay sober for 30 days. He said it’s his dream to continue to grow SAL throughout the Denver metro.
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