Travis County commissioners approve funds for women’s substance abuse treatment facility

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new resident treatment facility for women struggling with substance abuse is coming to Central Texas. On Tuesday, Travis County commissioners approved a contract with Santa Maria Hostel, providing over $469,000 from opioid abatement funds.

Santa Maria Hostel is a Texas nonprofit focused on supporting women in crisis, with two locations in Houston. The planned facility is the organization’s first in Central Texas. The treatment program is for women with children and women who are pregnant, providing a place for them and their children to live while in treatment for substance use disorder (SUD).

“The average length of stay in the program is up to three months, but that’s going to be individualized to each participant’s needs,” said Courtney Bissonnet Lucas, planning project manager for Travis County Health and Human Services. “All of their services are integrated with peer support, recovery support.”

Once a participant is ready to leave, they will have access to services to help them transition back into their community. One of the goals of the program is providing treatment without sending women away from their homes and families.

“The ability to integrate them back into their natural support systems, for them to be able to start their recovery work in the community, is critically important,” said Laura Peveto, division director in the Travis County Office of Children Services.

Austin used to have a similar residential treatment program, but it closed in August 2020. Currently, only Houston and Dallas have facilities offering this kind of treatment.

Santa Maria Hostel is eying a property in north Austin for the facility. They expect to open the program in fall 2025, starting out with a minimum of 30 beds with plans to expand.

“The need for more local residential treatment facilities is dire,” Precinct 3 Commissioner Ann Howard said in a county release. “I can’t wait for the doors of the treatment program to open so we can start helping mothers overcome their substance use challenges and set their families up for success.”

KXAN has a special presentation on the fight against fentanyl, a synthetic opioid. “Saving a Generation: The Fentanyl Crisis” airs Friday at 7 p.m.

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