2014, and again the community came out
to help have the home ready in 15 days.
“At that point, I said, ‘I am not doing
anymore.’ But everyone kept asking me,
‘What about the men?’”
Roberts purchased a third home in
October 2016, and men filled the rooms
by mid-October. “I liquidated almost
everything I had to make the 20 percent
down payment, and a different bank
really helped the community by loaning
me the rest of the money,” she says,
adding the community again furnished
the house, including sponsoring all the
beds.
Welcome Home
To date, 190 women and 37 men have been residents at one of the
three Hope Manor houses. To qualify to stay at a Hope Manor
home, individuals must be 18 years or older, be battling alcoholism or
drug addiction, and apply to live in one of the homes. “Each person
pays $250 on the first and 15th of each month, but more than half
the people come to us and don’t have the money,” says Roberts.
For the beginning of a resident’s stay, these expenses are often
covered until they can meet the requirement of finding a job and
have a stable income. Residents must also attend a minimum of
seven 12-step meetings per week, perform all assigned household
chores, agree to a no alcohol and drugs policy, and abide by a set
curfew. Residents are randomly drug and alcohol tested weekly and,
should an individual test positive, they must vacate the premises
immediately. “I use the model for sober living homes I found in
southern California. We are certified and inspected and are members
of the Great Plains Sober Living Network,” says Roberts. “We
want to keep the quality of our program really high. Not all homes
carrying the sober living name are the same.”
Hope Manor recommends a minimum stay of nine months, but
Roberts says residents truly have more than just a room at a house,
they have a home. “It has been found that the person’s living
environment coupled with a program of recovery is the number
one factor in maintaining long-term sobriety,” she says. “This really
works.”
Hope Manor is privately funded, and Roberts notes the facilities save
both the community and the state a significant amount of money.
“We save the community and the state tens of thousands of dollars
directly and indirectly. This program doesn’t cost the state anything.
These individuals are not incarcerated. Once they get sober, we
reunite families and help to get children out of foster care. They are
no longer clogging up the judicial system or taking up hospital beds.
Most importantly, they start giving back to the community.”
8
THE GAVEL
When individuals leave Hope Manor,
Roberts says their time at the homes
and in the program creates a firm
foundation for their continued sobriety.
“When they leave, we say ‘the only
thing that should change in your life
is where you put your pillow at night.’
Everything else is lined up.”
Offering a Solution
“Doing this, I have been able to
experience first-hand that this works,”
says Roberts. “As a criminal defense
attorney, I not only wanted to represent
my client well, I really wanted to be part of the solution. If I could
take the extra time, find the resource that can help someone, why
wouldn’t I do this? It’s not just about representing them in court, it’s
about offering a solution. I went into law to help people, but it’s not
always in the courtroom.”
She says her work with Hope Manor is tiring, and sometimes heart
breaking, but she wouldn’t change the path she has chosen. “I would
do it again in a heartbeat. To see the light come back on in someone’s
eyes, for them to find hope and get their dignity back, I would do it
again, even if it was for one person.”
ZUGER KIRMIS & SMITH
is pleased to announce that
associate attorney Justin M. Balzer
will be expanding his practice to
include criminal defense.
Justin M. Balzer is a former
prosecutor with the Morton
County State’s Attorney’s Office
and understands the intricacies of
the North Dakota criminal justice
system.
He has over five years of litigation experience.
Justin M. Balzer has hundreds of hours of court room
experience arguing five different criminal cases before the
North Dakota Supreme Court.
Zuger Kirmis & Smith
316 North Fifth Street • P.O. Box 1695
Bismarck, ND • 58502-1695 • 701-223-2711