Historic old home offers new beginning for women in recovery

ALBANY — In what could be a snapshot from another lifetime, down a quiet drive lined with pecan trees, a lazy dog rests in the warmth of the sun outside a century-old home being given a second life — not as a relic of the past, but as a place where women can begin again.

Jake, the dog who lives next door, has already taken on an unofficial role in that environment — part greeter, part guardian — and is poised to become woman’s best friend when Motif welcomes its first residents next month. 

Motif, a new sober living facility for women in recovery, is set to open its doors in May, offering what its founders describe as something largely missing in southwest Georgia: female-focused housing paired with a structured, holistic path forward.

“This has been about a three-year journey,” co-founder Mo Taylor said. “We saw a need. There weren’t very many options at the time — and right now, there’s essentially none for women.”

Taylor and her co-founder, Tiffany Cox, both active in the local recovery community through faith-based 12-step programs, began building Motif after repeatedly encountering the same gap: women completing treatment with nowhere safe to go after.

“Women are affected at disproportionate levels, and there are no resources,” Taylor said. “It’s really difficult for women. Society says, ‘How could a mom do this?’ But it’s so much more complex than that.”

That complexity is central to Motif’s mission.

Rather than focusing solely on sobriety, the program is designed to address what Taylor describes as the deeper layers of addiction: mental, emotional and spiritual.

“Putting down the bottle or the needle is only half the battle,” she said. “Most of the battle is learning how to live without it.”

According to a program overview, Motif will operate as a faith-based, holistic recovery home, combining daily structure with long-term life-building support, including employment assistance, financial literacy and mental health care.

Residents — who must complete at least 30 days of treatment prior to entry — will have the opportunity to live in the home for up to 12 months. During that time, they will participate in daily prayer and meditation, attend recovery meetings and work toward employment and independence.

“They’ll be required to go to meetings every day,” Taylor said. “They’ll have to find a job. It’s about getting them ready for real life, not just staying sober, but staying stable.”

The need for that structure is rooted in what many women face upon leaving treatment or incarceration.

“A lot of them are coming from jail, from treatment, and then what?” Taylor said. “No car, no job, no family support. How do you rebuild from that?”

Motif aims to answer that question by surrounding residents with what Taylor calls “hands, a place and people” — the foundational supports she says are often missing.

“We’re trying to give these women a life they don’t feel they need to escape from,” she said.

That mission is reflected in both the program and the place itself.

The house — originally located in Roanoke, Ala. — was purchased for $1,100 at auction, moved piece by piece and rebuilt on its current site some time during the middle of the last century. It was later donated to Motif by a local supporter who wanted to see the home preserved and put to meaningful use.

“He wanted the home to remain a home,” Taylor said. “And to be used for something meaningful.”

While it required few renovations due to the previous owner’s meticulous care, the home is now ready for residents. 

Purpose-built facilities for transitional housing do exist, but according to Taylor, giving new life to an old home seemed to be part of a larger, serendipitous plan. Sitting on roughly 60 acres of pecan orchard, a setting intentionally removed from the triggers and instability many residents are leaving behind — the story of the home mirrors, in many ways, the second chance organizers hope the women who live there will experience.

“It’s about a quarter-mile off the road,” Taylor said. “When you see it, you’re going to say, ‘This is a place for healing.’”

The environment is more than aesthetic — it is intentional.

“A lot of these women have never had peace,” she said. “They’ve lived in chaos. So to give them a period of time surrounded by quiet, support and structure, that matters.”

While initial resistance from neighboring property owners surfaced during the planning stages, program directors say they hope the faith-based, holistic transitional living center will ultimately prove to be an asset to the surrounding community — modeling how treatment and recovery can work hand-in-hand with faith and whole-person-focused health.

For Taylor, who will celebrate nine years of sobriety in May, the work is both personal and urgent.

“I was blessed,” she said. “I had support. I had somewhere to go. A lot of these women don’t.”

That reality shapes everything about Motif, from its requirements to its long-term goals. Residents must demonstrate commitment, completing treatment before entry and actively participating in the program once inside. The structure, Taylor said, is intentional.

“We want to know … are you serious?” she said. “Because this is about long-term change, not a short fix.”

The facility will initially house eight to 10 women, with the ability to expand over time. Community support has already played a key role in bringing the project to life, including fundraising efforts to meet regulatory requirements and infrastructure upgrades.

“The community has provided everything we’ve needed,” Taylor said. “Every step of the way.”

As Motif prepares for a soft opening in May, followed by a larger public event later this summer, Taylor said the goal remains simple, but not easy.

“God created you for a purpose, on purpose,” she said. “We’re here to help women realize that — and to give them the tools to actually live it.”

In a region where the need continues to grow, Motif represents more than a new program. At its core, it is a place to start over — not alone, but together.