In the Spotlight: The San Luis Obispo Sobering Center
- Jan 1, 2025
- 2 min read
In the Spotlight: the San Luis Obispo Sobering Center
By Terri Houser, Program Manager
The SLO Sobering Center is located in the beautiful sunny hills of San Luis Obispo, California, and opened on June 24th, 2024. Since then, we have helped over 250 community members.
The Sobering Center team comprises the Program Manager, Terri Houser, a fantastic group of Sober Coaches, and Medical support staff.
Sobering centers are low-barrier, short-term, community-based facilities that typically operate 24/7/365. They provide monitoring and oversight of adults in a substance-related crisis with acute alcohol and/or other drug intoxication in a supervised and supportive environment. The primary goal is to provide sobriety. It is designed for 24 hours but can have members remain up to 72 hours on a case-by-case basis. Post intoxication, the goal is to link members to services including mental health, substance abuse treatment, housing support, case management, transportation, food assistance, and basic necessities.
The sobering center has been reducing the number of emergency visits to the ER and local jail visits, thus saving the city substantial city costs. It is connecting community members daily to the resources they need and want.
Each day is a different day at SLO Sobering Center. Each community member is greeted by our friendly staff and offered a shower, a warm meal, and a bed with a smile from our staff. If clients need clean clothes, we offer them some donated clothes while we wash them so they can rest in clean clothes. It is amazing what clean clothes, a shower, and food with good company can do for someone's soul!
During members' stay, our medical support staff monitors their intoxication levels to make sure they are doing well while they are here. In between resting and meals, our lived experience staff offers all resources available to get connected to help them get back on their feet again.
Patrick, our sober coach/transporter, makes most meals for our members during the day.
"He can make a mean spread that members really enjoy (ramen with veggies or tuna or ham...)."
After members have rested and are no longer intoxicated, they are given a ride to their next safe destination. SLO Sobering staff always do a warm handoff for each member to make sure that they are in a safe place.
We have such an amazing team, and we love what we do.
