Our Story

Friends of Georgia Barbour came together in 2006 to honor their friend who had died following a long struggle with alcoholism. They believed that Georgia would be alive if she had had a safe house in which to recover and heal from her disease.  

In 2010, they founded the nonprofit organization Georgia’s Friends, Inc. Their vision was to create a healing house where women could find a supportive living environment, maintain sobriety, and build a new life after treatment or incarceration. Community partners and friends formed a community council to launch the signature initiative of Georgia’s Friends which they called Georgia’s Healing House (now Georgia’s House). 

Georgia’s House opened its doors in Charlottesville in September 2015 and continues to provide a safe, structured living environment for women in the early stages of recovery from drug and/or alcohol addiction. Our residents now have a place to heal from past trauma and the mental health challenges that often accompany substance use disorders. Our house provides hope through evidence-based recovery models and helps our residents become healthy, self-reliant, and productive members of our community.

Georgia ~ Our Inspiration & Friend

Jane “Georgia” Avary Barbour graduated from Randolph Macon Women’s College with degrees in studio art and English. She worked in the Kibbutz Gazit in Israel in the summer of 1972 and then served in the Peace Corps in Africa in 1973. Originally from Atlanta, she acquired her nickname in the Peace Corps where she was known by the name of her home state, Georgia.

Later, Georgia spent a year traveling extensively by foot, hoof, and vehicle throughout West Africa, crossed the Sahara, and plied the Niger River to Timbuktu in a bateau. She lived in France and then returned to Charlottesville. 

Georgia earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Virginia and taught French and English in local schools. She served as curator for African Art at the Bayly Art Museum and worked as a docent for 26 years. She volunteered at the Salvation Army Montpelier and in local soup kitchens and participated in church missions to Mexico and Costa Rica. 

In 2000, Georgia and her husband traveled to Vietnam where she photographed the small villages. Some of her photographs from this trip are on display at Georgia’s House. Georgia loved creating artwork and inspired others with her photographs, batik paintings, and pastels.