ALAMOSA — The proposed Alamosa residential addiction treatment center Hope in the Valley/Roofers in Recovery has momentum but is experiencing some delays, according to Kim Reed, who is with the group proposing the facility.

According to Reed, "We have a lot of balls in the air right now, things are moving along quite nicely, we have several people who want to get involved, we are in talks with several, several people from employees to partners, to partners, to licensing, you name it.

“It's been a lot more than we expected and a little more of a process; opening a rehab, getting a license, and bringing in partners that are experts in that area is not something you can put together in two months,” Reed added.

When asked to elaborate on whom the group is talking to and working with, Reed declined.

Reed said a grand opening will be pushed back from September of this year to January of 2024 and added that the new date is tentative, and the January opening is "more than likely."

Hope in the Valley/Roofers in Recovery closed on and bought the Rite of Passage building from Alamosa County in January. In July of last year, Paul Reed and Justin Luke Riley of Hope in the Valley made a presentation to the SLV County Commissioners regarding their proposed 30-bed residential facility.

The architectural plans have been finalized, and the group is about to "pull the trigger" with a contractor. "We're super excited," said Reed.

According to Riley, the group has raised $100,000 in grant money and an additional $200,000 from private donors. Riley said he would provide financial information from the group to the Valley Courier.

Last month, the Colorado Opioid Abatement Council approved an infrastructure grant to the organization of approximately $100,000.

Riley said they are working with many in the region on the facility and said, "We've convened two or three different meetings with people from the community, whether their nurses, or recovery advocates, I don't know all of their names off the top of my head, but we have a couple of mild listening sessions, but as we get closer to making more progress, we want to host a couple of community events and invite different stakeholders and providers in the area and learn more about the Valley.”

As an individual recovering from addiction, Riley added, "We're excited to come to the Valley and help people; as a person with long-term recovery, both Paul [Reed] and I are excited to help people."

At press time, Kim Reed said she had contacted the accountants for Roofers in the Valley for their IRS Form 990 returns and will make them available to the Valley Courier in the next several days.