Lufkin sober living house prepares for grand opening

LUFKIN, Texas (KTRE) - A labor of love has finally been completed. Thanks to donations and months of work, the Mantooth Sober Living House has been completed. The project began as an effort to offer a living space to women in Lufkin recovering from drug addiction.

“We’ve been working on the house for about a year now," said Mantooth House board member Kelley Moore. "We’ve restored it to the natural beauty, and we’re very excited about that, just like we want the ladies living here to restore their lives.”

With the Mantooth House finally completed, women battling addiction will have a safe place to reintegrate into their community. District Judge Bob Inselmann says this is greatly needed because women receiving treatment often end up in a similar environment that got them addicted in the first place.

“This is their opportunity to come back into our community, get some training, get some sober living under their belt for six to nine to twelve months before they get back into our community,” Inselmann said.

After opening its doors on Sunday, Moore hopes it can begin housing women within a month. During their time, they will be training in both hard and soft skills.

“We will provide a resource that helps with computer skills and job training," Moore said. "Cooking classes, painting lessons, exercise, bible study, just about anything you could think of to keep the women busy.”

According to Inselmann, Lufkin is limited in drug addiction recovery resources for women. He also said these cases are more common than some would think.

“So many people’s lives are affected by addiction," Inselmann said. "People know people in their own families or friends circle who are affected by addiction.”

For those people, Moore believes the recovery can start right on Mantooth Avenue.

“It’s improving our community and moving forward in the journey of this recovery with these women,” Moore said.

The grand opening of the Mantooth House is Sunday at 1:00 pm. Community members are welcome to come learn more opportunities to volunteer and donate to the house.

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