About this Recovery House
Amethyst House on Richmond Terrace is a women's recovery residence in Staten Island, New York, in Richmond County. It stands on Richmond Terrace along the borough's North Shore, near St. George, and is operated by Amethyst House Inc, which also runs a men's residence on Heberton Avenue in Port Richmond.
A Women's Recovery Home on the North Shore
The house serves women, and it is the women's half of a two house operation. Richmond Terrace runs along the Kill Van Kull waterfront from St. George west toward Port Richmond, which puts the St. George Ferry Terminal and the bus hub beside it within reach on foot. That one fact does more for a resident than most amenities a listing could advertise. The ferry to Lower Manhattan is free and runs around the clock, and nearly every North Shore bus route begins at the terminal, so a woman without a car can hold a job in another borough from this address.
Certification and Staten Island Recovery Housing
New York does not require a recovery residence to be certified. The state offers two voluntary routes, Part 860 certification through the Office of Addiction Services and Supports and certification through the New York State Alliance of Recovery Residences, and neither is a condition of operating. An explainer on New York sober house certification covers what each one involves. The practical consequence for someone comparing houses on Staten Island is that certification cannot be used as a filter here the way it can in states with mandatory programs. The written fee schedule, the house rules and the discharge policy are what an applicant should be reading.
Recovery Housing Near the St. George Ferry
St. George is the seat of Richmond County. Borough Hall, the county clerk, the Richmond County Supreme and Criminal Courts and the district attorney's office all sit within a few blocks of the ferry terminal, and Richmond University Medical Center is a short ride west in West Brighton. The North Shore holds the borough's transit, most of its outpatient providers and most of its recovery housing. For a woman with a court date, a clinic appointment and a job interview in the same week, this end of Staten Island is the only part of the borough where all three are reachable without driving.
Two Amethyst House Recovery Homes on Staten Island
Amethyst House Inc runs this women's residence on Richmond Terrace and a men's residence on Heberton Avenue, about two miles west in Port Richmond. Both sit on the North Shore inside the same transit and service network, and both answer to the same operator. A woman applying here is dealing with people who run housing on this side of the island every day.
Sober living homes are group residences for people who are recovering from addiction. In most instances, people who live in sober homes have to follow certain house rules and contribute to the home by doing chores. Most importantly, residents must stay sober throughout their stay in the home.
Amethyst House was founded by Marilyn Cole and was incorporated in New York State in December 1981.
From 1981 to 1990, Marilyn and a committee of dedicated and concerned citizens raised funds and awareness of the need for a community residence for women on Staten Island. In June of 1990, Amethyst House welcomed it's first resident.
Amethyst House was established to provide a warm supportive and safe environment for women recovering from the effects of alcoholism and substance abuse. A prolonged chemical dependence is destructive to most women physically, emotionally and spiritually, it is important that they be afforded the time they need for recovery and self-renewal.
