A program that allows women to live in public housing while they recover from drug and alcohol addiction could shutter because it violates Department of Housing and Urban Development rules for residential eligibility.

John Edwards, head of the Urban Minority Alcohol and Drug Addiction Outreach Program, said the Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority gave his organization a six-weeks notice to vacate the four apartments used for the drug recovery program, Safe Organized Accessible Recovery.

“As of [Tuesday] we were served an eviction notice,” he said. “We have to figure out how to relocate to some other place before Aug. 1. But our main concern is the recovery of these women.”

The units in a North Toledo LMHA complex are used for SOAR, which provides stable housing for women receiving addiction recovery services.

Mr. Edward said the addiction outreach program signed leases to rent the four and five-bedroom apartments three years ago and bought new furniture and made upgrades and improvements to the units to house up to 22 residents.

The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services awarded grants of $241,000 over a two-year period to support the project, Mr. Edwards said.

So far, about 30 women have successfully completed the program, which asks participants to commit to one year of living in the housing with residential counselors, the director said.

“We have received recognition and accolades from Executive Director Tracy Plouck of the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.” Mr. Edwards said. “Most importantly, there have been numerous women who have completed their stays at the housing and have regained their footing.”

Demetria Simpson, LMHA’s interim president and chief executive officer, said the housing authority received approval from HUD for the initial lease agreement to allow the outreach program to rent the units.

However, federal housing and urban development officials told the LMHA last February that the use does not comply with HUD guidelines because the lease circumvented the waiting list and screening required for public housing residents, she said.

“Nothing in the guidelines fit the use for the units, which is pretty much like group living. HUD said at that point we could not renew the lease last February when it came up for renewal,” Ms. Simpson said.

LMHA officials said they are working with HUD to have the units removed from the housing authority’s property inventory to utilize them for the SOAR program.

“We have been working with HUD to come up with a way to make a request for this,” Ms. Simpson said. “HUD recognizes this is a good program. They are willing to work with us to make this happen.”

The housing authority is also making a request to HUD to allow the women to remain living in the apartments pending approval of the LMHA’s application for removal from the residential inventory, she said.

“We are working with Mr. Edwards and the UMADAOP leadership. We are committed to making this work. We believe this is going to work out,” Ms. Simpson said.

A 27-year-old woman who asked that her name not be published for this story said she graduated from the SOAR program and has been sober for more than a year after battling heroin and alcohol addiction for 10 years.

Since leaving the SOAR house in April, she has been living with her parents and her 5-year-old son. She said she plans to enter college to start a career in social work to counsel people with addictions.

“I wouldn’t change it for the world. It was the best experience. It gave me what I needed,” she said.

Contact Mark Reiter at: markreiter@theblade.com or 419-724-6199.

First Published June 15, 2017, 4:00 a.m.