It happened last Christmas. A group calling themselves the Bristlecone Pine committee met with an Oxford House representative, Sedona’s Chief of Police, the Commander, a couple of local clergymen and a few Sedona-Cottonwood social workers. They quietly opened a halfway house in Sedona, AZ. The institution wasn’t State funded or professionally managed. Clean and sober residents ran the place. It doesn’t sound like it would work, does it? It doesn’t even sound legal.
It works and it’s legal. The first year was been difficult but their second Christmas found it full of recovering men. The small pre-fab house in west Sedona was sometimes home to 8 or more clean and sober folks, related only by their disability: an addiction to alcohol or drugs.
There were 200 Oxford Houses when 60 minutes first aired this segment with Paul Malloy. There are over 1200 now. Oxford House loaned Harmony House in Sedona, AZ $4,000 to open a halfway house. Harmony paid $60/month back to Oxford House until Mark Pope (Sedona, AZ Unity Church Pastor) became homeless during a divorce, moved into Harmony House, talked the residents there into voting him him in charge. He took over the finances and quit paying the debt back to Oxford. Shortly after, Mark moved back in with a different ex wife leaving the house without Oxford House’s support. It closed. However, as you can see at OxfordHouse.org the program works if you work it. [Watch the Video on YouTube Here]
Original Video Published by 60 Minutes and Pat Barber on Dec 3, 2009