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'Sober Housing' Made Available For People Arrested During Operation Rio Grande

Whittney Evans/KUER
Destiny Garcia was one of hundreds of people arrested during Operation Rio Grande. She's completed treatment and has been placed in a sober living home.

Special housing is now available in Salt Lake County for about 150 people in addiction recovery. Eligible clients, many of whom were arrested during the crime and drug crackdown Operation Rio Grande, will receive vouchers for up to three months at a sober living home.

The Sober Living Voucher Program provides supportive housing for people who’ve completed a drug treatment program or participated in the Operation Rio Grande specialty drug court. The program also requires clients to continue treatment for substance abuse and actively seek work.

Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams says many of the Operation Rio Grande arrestees were homeless.

“Even if they complete their drug treatment program, many will still struggle with living arrangements that aren’t just sleeping on someone’s couch or hanging with some of their drug user acquaintances,” McAdams says.

The Utah Department of Workforce Services spent $300,000 on the program. The department will help clients with job placement and arrange for transportation. Fourteen clients have already been placed in homes as of Monday.

Whittney Evans grew up southern Ohio and has worked in public radio since 2005. She has a communications degree from Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky, where she learned the ropes of reporting, producing and hosting. Whittney moved to Utah in 2009 where she became a reporter, producer and morning host at KCPW. Her reporting ranges from the hyper-local issues affecting Salt Lake City residents, to state-wide issues of national interest. Outside of work, she enjoys playing the guitar and getting to know the breathtaking landscape of the Mountain West.
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