ALAMOSA — Last weekend, Paul and Kim Reed, co-founders of Hope in the Valley, a proposed drug and alcohol addiction treatment facility, sponsored an event in Alamosa where, along with about a dozen staff and volunteers, they were available for conversations with community members.

It’s been less than a year since the Reeds bought a vacant facility owned by Alamosa County and announced their plans to build a residential treatment center to serve people dealing with addiction and substance abuse and support those in recovery.

Since then, the co-founders have stayed largely out of the public eye as they zeroed in on their vision for the facility and brought on those with experience in such ventures for consultation.

In the years preceding their decision to open a treatment center, the Reeds started an organization called “Roofers in Recovery,” devoted to those individuals in the construction industry who struggle with substance abuse. All funds donated to Roofers in Recovery have been spent in support of more than 60 individuals in various stages of treatment, from paying for 30 days in a rehabilitation center to funding help needed in their recovery efforts.

Hope in the Valley is their first endeavor renovating a brick-and-mortar facility to help a population they both have a significant, personal investment in supporting. That has been a real challenge as the Reeds, who live in Colorado Springs, also manage five other businesses.

“It’s been a real learning experience,” says Kim Reed. “We’ve never done something like this before. We’ve put more than 25 people through rehab treatment but, with this, we didn’t know what we didn’t know.”

“We realized that we were trying to recreate the wheel,” says Paul Reed. “Other people have done this. They know what to do. We’re learning from them.”

They have partnered with Mike Bayer, an individual who owns a large rehab facility in California and has a successful approach in Intensive Outpatient Programs, which they are using as their model.

“We’re getting it,” she says. “Every day, we’re understanding more of what’s involved — like applying for licenses — and how to do get this done.”

The “this” was visible when the Reeds took Alamosa County Commissioner Lori Laske and the Valley Courier for an inside tour of the facility and described what, once completed, the facility will look like.

Upon walking through the front door, there will be a reception area with several smaller offices for “intake." Through the main door and to the right is the detox area where those, in the throes of full substance use, will be admitted. A door from the back also allows for people, if necessary, to enter detox without having exposure or access to others in various stages of recovery. Rooms accommodating up to 10 people open up on a day room that can be observed by nurses and other staff in an adjacent office with windows.

A locked door then leads to the other part of the facility that will house a total of 17-20 people in “Intensive Outpatient” and a second area of the facility that will house people who will stay for longer periods of time. 

“I want this door to be symbolic,” Paul says, walking through the doorway. “I might even paint it an entirely different color. I want this door to communicate to people ‘you’re entering a whole new stage of your life’.”

While there are still questions to be answered — “I’m not sure this room is big enough for two people, are you?” Kim asks Paul — the Reeds are more determined than ever to be open by January of 2024.

In recent months, the two have largely stayed under the radar as Kim — “I handle construction” — worked with Alcon Construction Company in getting floors torn up, walls repaired, sinks and toilets installed, and other infrastructure work completed.

One “huge” project was completely reinstalling the fire suppression system, a significant factor in the building being readied for occupation.

“We’re almost to the place where we can install flooring,” she says, opening the top carton of a tall stack of flooring to admire its appearance. “Then we’ll paint. I’ve been learning that the color blue has a calming effect on people.”

There’s also the matter of buying furniture for the bedrooms, including “suicide proof,” mattresses, furniture for the day rooms, office furniture and getting phones installed.

There is the other task of lining up the right people to do what they have planned. They have reached an agreement with Dr. Ely Walker, a physician known in the San Luis Valley for having the greatest expertise in substance use disorder, to work with the facility, a decision that Laske openly applauds.

They have also interviewed more than 10 professionals who, for one reason or another, have chosen to stop working with providers already in the region, but are interested in working for Hope in the Valley.

And, as perhaps the greatest indication of their commitment, they have hired someone to head up “community engagement" to establish networking in the community and a professional who is facilitating a sobriety support group that already has close to 20 people attending a meeting in Alamosa every Monday, Wednesday and Friday night.

“We’re focused on being sustainable,” says Paul, a native of the Valley who’s committed to helping others here as he was helped in his recovery. “This isn’t about us making money. We didn’t get in it for that. And we don’t want to come in here, open a great facility, raise everyone’s hopes, and then not be here in a year. We’re here to help people. That’s why we’re here. We want to build something that will last. We want this to be our legacy to helping others.”