MORGANTOWN — You really never know how things are going to work out.
In 2019, two of the major story lines in the city of Morgantown were, one, former Police Chief Ed Preston’s renewed call for a short-term public intoxication holding facility and, two, preliminary rumblings about a former hotel and its potential as a future hub for social services.
Fast forward to Thursday, when a small crowd gathered to celebrate a ribbon cutting ceremony for Hope Hill Sobering Center, located on the ground floor of that former hotel, now known as Hazel’s House of Hope.
The roughly 5,100 square-foot, 15-bed facility will initially be open from 8 p.m.- 8 a.m. Thursday through Saturday as an alternative to jail or the emergency room where intoxicated adults can recover from the effects of drugs and/or alcohol and also be connected to resources, if needed.
Ascension Recovery Services will manage the center.
“We can get people connected to treatment if they’re willing,” Ascension’s Brad Pershing said, later adding, “The first time they come, all right, it was no big deal. Just a bad night. But if we see them come repeatedly, we’ll have peer recovery support specialists to be able to engage with them more intensely each time.”
The city of Morgantown, and, in particular, Assistant City Manager Emily Muzzarelli, has driven the sobering center project.
The facility was initially built out, along with the rest of the 100,000-plus square foot building, using $3.5 million in CARES Act funding awarded in the fall of 2020. Among the project’s financial supporters are Morgantown City Council and the Monongalia County Commission, at $100,000 each.
HHSC Board President Deana Morrow previously said the center has a $290,000 budget in the current fiscal year and $200,000 lined up for FY 2023, though additional funding sources are being sought.
Morrow said that in addition to any law enforcement and EMS agencies, individuals can drop people off at the center as well, though calling ahead (304-827-1171) is strongly encouraged.
“We had a soft opening a week ago. We’re still waiting on our first client, but we also know there’s a football game next weekend, so I don’t think we’ll be without clients very long,” Morrow said, explaining the sobering center is a resource.
Exactly what that means will be individual to the people who use it.
“We won’t label people as necessarily having an addiction as they walk in the door. We’ll assess and we’ll go from there depending on where they are and their level of need for information and treatment.”
