Women walk back toward Grace Lodge for lunch after a stroll in 2023. On Tuesday, the Clark County Council approved a five-year lease renewal for the site. Staff and past residents said the recovery transitional home has helped hundreds of women. (The Columbian files)Photo Gallery
The Clark County Council approved a five-year lease renewal for Grace Lodge, a women’s recovery home owned and operated by XChange Recovery.
Since 2010, XChange Recovery has leased the property, 6702 N.E. Septan Drive, just north of Battle Ground, from Clark County. The nonprofit has offered hundreds of women transitional housing and help getting to the next step of substance-use recovery. In five years, the lease may be renewed for one additional five-year term.
“Many women who once felt trapped in addiction, absent from their families and burdening our health care and justice systems, they are now thriving,” XChange Recovery founder Vicky Smith told the council Tuesday. “Today, they are beautiful, amazing community members. Many are working, paying taxes, owning homes and reunited with their children.”
Clark County originally purchased the property with Conservation Futures funds to preserve it as natural habitat. The property is nestled along the East Fort Lewis River.
In early 2023, dozens of people spoke at a special Clark County Council meeting to share how Grace Lodge changed their lives after an announcement that the recovery home’s lease would end. The county had rezoned the property, and XChange Recovery’s continued use of Grace Lodge would have required a conditional use permit.
After public testimony and growing awareness of the emerging fentanyl crisis, county councilors questioned the decision and pushed for a collaborative solution.
On Tuesday, a handful of XChange Recovery staff and former residents spoke to the council. Kelly Phillips, a former Grace Lodge resident who now works for XChange Recovery, thanked the county for approving the new, five-year lease agreement and allowing the recovery home to stay open.
“I can’t help but think of all the lives that wouldn’t have been impacted … had we not been allowed to keep Grace Lodge and continue to the work that we’ve been able to do,” Phillips said.
Since 2023, the nonprofit has had a temporary lease with the county.
The new lease covers 1½ acres surrounding a 7,568-square-foot building. The building is divided into two sections: one used by XChange Recovery staff and their families and the other designated for women participating in the residential housing program.
Under the lease, XChange Recovery is required to pay $500 per month plus lease excise taxes. The lease also outlines specific maintenance responsibilities and deadlines that XChange Recovery must meet.
A portion of the maintenance list has been completed, and the other portion will be completed during the lease, Smith said. She added that through the help of volunteers and donated materials, XChange Recovery has been able to complete about $650,000 in renovations.
The five-year lease will allow XChange Recovery to help more women in recovery with no interruptions, Smith said.
If You Go
What: XChange Recovery’s “Yay! We Get to Stay!” Grace Lodge Lease Renewal Celebration
“We get phone calls on a daily basis from people that want help or from family members of loved ones that they want help for,” Smith told The Columbian. “This place will exist now to be able to help those women that want help, that want real change. Now, that help will be here.”
This story was made possible by Community Funded Journalism, a project from The Columbian and the Local Media Foundation. Top donors include the Ed and Dollie Lynch Fund, Patricia, David and Jacob Nierenberg, Connie and Lee Kearney, Steve and Jan Oliva, The Cowlitz Tribal Foundation and the Mason E. Nolan Charitable Fund. The Columbian controls all content. For more information, visit columbian.com/cfj.
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