Oxford House program started in 1975

Oxford House Inc. began in Silver Spring, Md., in 1975 when attorney Paul Molloy and 12 other men bought a halfway house that was about to be sold out from under them.

They couldn’t afford a supervisor and found the responsibility of running the house was good for them.

The concept took off, and there are now more than 1,000 chartered houses in the United States, Canada and Australia. That includes nearly 200 in Washington and, with the new Dishman Hills House, 20 in Spokane County.

Houses are all single-sex, although a few are set up to accommodate single parents with children. The Spokane area has 18 houses for men and two for women, but none yet for parents and children.

Oxford House takes its name from a Christian group that was instrumental in development of Alcoholic Anonymous.

Blake Bippes, a regional outreach representative, said Oxford House encourages participation in Alcoholics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous – “any of those A’s” – but has no direct ties.

Affiliated houses are financially independent, and residents must pay their share of expenses, including rent, utilities and supplies other than food and personal hygiene. The average cost in Spokane is about $300 a month per resident, Bippes said.

“Pretty much, they have to have a job,” he said.

Those who have pensions or disability payments are encouraged to do volunteer work under what Bippes calls the “couch potato rule.”

“Grow or go is our motto,” he said.