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SALT LAKE CITY — If the walls of the historic mansion on South Temple in Salt Lake City could speak, it might tell the story of its previous owner's downfall.
The mansion was built in 1889 as a home for the Walter C. and Alice Lyne family, where descendants lived until 1941. The nine bedroom, three-story red brick house would go on to serve as a boarding house for the First Step House program for men, an optometrist's office, the Brigham Street Inn and a facility used by the Ronald McDonald House charity for sick children and their families.
Most recently, the mansion served as the home and office of former Salt Lake estate planning attorney Calvin Curtis, who was convicted of wire fraud and embezzlement of millions of dollars. The residence was then purchased by the House of Hope, a local nonprofit organization and oldest treatment center in Utah.
Now the historic mansion will see new life as a recovery house for up to 14 women who have completed residential treatment and are attending outpatient care while employed in the community.
"This project represents a foundational step forward for women in our community who have done the hard work of overcoming their addiction and are ready to move forward with their lives," said Seth Teague, Salt Lake County Behavioral Health program manager.
The House of Hope revealed the new interior and name of the home in an open house on Wednesday. Named after the amaryllis flower, which grows from a bulb that contains everything the flower needs to bloom, the program is meant to serve as the "nurturing force" for the home's residents to thrive.
"May we continue to work together as a community to rise up and reach out to those who are in pain, despair and literally in bondage to addiction and suffering from mental health disorders. And may we stand together in our commitment to provide services, resources and compassion to all those who need our help in our city, county and state," said Lisa Heaton, executive director of House of Hope.
Providing transitional housing with community-based support helps prevent the pitfalls that occur within the first year of sobriety, said Heaton.
"The families we have have all kinds of abuse, trauma, mental health issues and so they really need supports that are more than a 28-day program. They need something that's essentially a circle of people around them that can help them create a whole new life," said Heaton. "It's a community where they all work together in a safe place to really get to really try their wings while they attend outpatient treatment."
The program is funded through a partnership with Housing Connect, Salt Lake County Behavioral Health, House of Hope and unnamed donors. The facility is monitored with a security system, two house managers and features house rules and a curfew for the residents. The Amaryllis will provide safe housing while House of Hope staff will offer residents case management, life skills training and access to community resources.
"This gives them the opportunity to have a place to live and have that security. Because you can't work on your mental health, you can't work on learning skills, if you don't know where you're going to sleep at night. If you don't know what you're going to eat. Those basic needs have to be cared for," said Heaton.
