Pasos De Vida

Mission Statement

The Drug and Alcohol Division of Life Steps is committed to offering an environment conducive to revitalization and motivation for the purpose of empowering recovering families to achieve healthy, self-sufficient lifestyles of their choosing.

Pasos de Vida serves the needs of dually diagnosed women and their children in San Luis Obispo County and provides treatment based on the spiritual, intellectual, physical and emotional needs of the client.

Pasos de Vida Atmosphere

Pasos de Vida is one of three Life Steps substance abuse projects developed to accomplish our mission. It is located in Shady Oaks rural Arroyo Grand , e on 10 fen c ed acres of land on Nipomo Mesa, about six miles southeast of Arroyo Grande and 30 miles southeast of San Luis Obispo , California . The grounds consist of five buildings surrounded by coastal oak trees, a barn (and attached corral), and a swimming pool . , each building enclosed by fences. The main residential facility is a 5,000-square-foot two-story house that contains eight bedrooms, a two large living area s , a kitchen, three five bathrooms, and a stone fireplace. A smaller two-bedroom 1,250-square-foot house serves as the Child Development Center . It contains a kitchen, a living area two classrooms , and two a large, fenced outdoor play area s for both infants and toddlers .

Foundation History

Pasos de Vida is one of many projects that Life Steps Foundation provides. Life Steps Foundation is a human services organization founded in 1983 and incorporated in 1984 as a nonprofit organization. The organization currently offers a variety of projects, including services for those with developmental disabilities, physical impairments, and substance abuse problems throughout Southern, Central, and Northern California.

Pasos de Vida Project Statement

Life Steps Foundation offers Pasos de Vida as one of its services to the Central California area. In 1995, Life Steps Foundation received a 5-year federal CSAT grant from the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment to develop a residential treatment project for 12 substance-abusing, dually diagnosed women and 24 of their children. The organization has a history of developing new, innovative services that target underserved populations. Pasos de Vida helps mothers with unmet needs in San Luis Obispo County , especially those with a dual diagnosis of substance abuse and mental impairment. When the grant expired in 2000, the success of the program was widely known and funding continued through CA Office of Alcohol and Drug Programs

As stated in the original proposal, Pasos de Vida would provide substance-abusing women and their children with nine- to 12-month residential treatment and 12 months of continuous aftercare. The target population, as originally planned, is mothers with the aforementioned dual diagnosis and their children. Please help us meet this goal by referring this specific population to Pasos de Vida.

Program Components

Pasos de Vida is a comprehensive residential treatment project that offers the following:

• individual and group substance abuse treatment
• individual and gruop mental health treatment
• medical referral services
• nutrition and food preparation education
• recreation and exercise
• group/individual children's play therapy
• parent education
• case management
• vocational services
• after-care groups case management
• GED preparation
• life skills educaiton

Children's services:

• developmental assessment
• medical referral services
• therapeutic preschool
• family play therapy
• early intervention/prevention
• recreation and homework assistance

Program Goals

Goals of Pasos de Vida:

• Reduce the incidence and prevalence of alcohol/other drug use among dually diagnosed women.
• Increase the standard of living among dually diagnosed women who have children and who are recovering from addiction.
• Increase the ability of the alcohol and other drug abuse and mental health service system to provide effective services to dually diagnosed women and their children.
• Family reunification

Client Eligibility

Pasos de Vida provides service to women who have a history of substance abuse and a mental disorder and their children.

The facility accommodates 12 women and their children. Children must be no older than 8 years old 12 years of age .

Children outside the age range requirement are encouraged to participate with their family in the project while living off site.

For More Information

If you or someone you know would benefit from treatment at Pasos de Vida, please contact our community outreach worker at (805) 481-2505 ext . 209.

Screening and intake services are done by the Alcohol and Drug Services Division at (805) 781-4753.