Women’s Anchorage tentatively set to open in early July

ALBANY – The road to recovery could lead to Albany for women looking for a residential drug- and alcohol-recovery program, with the long-held dream of a women’s version of The Anchorage opening in Albany coming within a matter of days

The Anchorage Women’s Campus is expected to open around July 1, and it will provide the same Christian-based recovery services as The Anchorage.

It also will come with the same initial cost of a $40 fee (plus the cost of required blood work) for the initial four-month program, an almost unheard-of amount in the world of residential centers.

“It’ll be huge,” retiring Anchorage Executive Director Bob Lynch said of the women’s version. “You know, $40 does everything. For the last 15 years – as long as I’ve been here – we’ve gotten calls (from women) over at the men’s Anchorage.”

The Anchorage did compile a list to make referrals, but there was a desire to expand its services for women. 

Officials at The Anchorage, which very briefly operated as a co-ed center when it opened in 1953, have been looking to offer a women’s version for about a decade. Their prayers have been answered through a huge outpouring of assistance that dropped the original $2.5 million estimate considerably.

That started with the donation of land off Gillionville Road. The donation, which included a former Fish Camp, pavilion and more than 70 acres of land, was worth about $1 million, Anchorage board member Jeff Neal said. 

The benevolence continued with contractors performing work at no cost and the donation of materials that amounted to even more money saved.

“Every piece of wood in this building was donated, from the decking to the floors,” Lynch said.

TriMark Strategic, a food service company with a regional office and warehouse in Albany, provided all of the kitchen needs, from utensils to the ovens and walk-in freezer. That donation totaled more than $100,000.

Others have given gifts, big and small, and at least one Albany grocery store has agreed to make regular food donations.

Neal estimated that The Anchorage will have put in some $1.9 million by the time all is said and done, and when it opens the 41-bed women’s facility will double the annual operating budget to about $800,000.

The facility will include a room dedicated for residents pursuing a General Education Development (GED) certificate, multipurpose rooms that can be used for counseling and meetings like Alcoholics Anonymous, a large common area with a television, dining area and large bathroom and laundry area.

Residents will do the cleaning, and men from The Anchorage will provide lawn maintenance. 

As opening day rapidly approaches, there are still some items like sheets, and individuals interested in helping out can ask about what is needed by calling (229) 435-5692.

“Money’s always helpful,” said Neal, who estimated The Anchorage may borrow as much as $700,000 by the time everything is completed. “We will take deer. If a hunter has too much, we’ll take processed deer. It could be something like that. If they have a vegetable garden, we can take tomatoes or any type of vegetables.”

One aspect of The Anchorage’s services that is somewhat unique to the board members is the after-program. Residents who need a place to stay can continue to live at the facility for up to a year at a cost of $100 per week, provided they have a job and are continuing on their recovery journey.

The Anchorage’s origins date back to the middle of the last century when a men’s Sunday School Class at First United Methodist Church of Albany had a member with a severe alcohol issue shortly after the end of World War II. The member received treatment in North Carolina when no centers were found to be available in Georgia, and that lack was the nucleus of opening a center in Albany.

“The Anchorage for men, in its 73-year history, has served somewhere between 7,000 and 8,000 men,” Neal said.

Today, The Anchorage receives residents not only from close to home but from multiple states.

Starting in just a couple of weeks, those same services will be available for women. When the new facility opens, it probably will be with a small group of five to 10 before ramping up to bring in more women.

“We’re here,” Lynch said “We said we were going to do it, and we have done it.”