After treatment for a substance use disorder, the next step often depends on having a safe place to live and a way to get to counseling. For many, the cost of sober living or transportation can end progress that was hard won. The Rylie V. Rutter Foundation was created to close that gap.
The foundation, based in El Paso, Texas, helps people in recovery from substance use disorders overcome practical barriers. Its central focus is helping people afford safe, structured sober living after treatment. It also supports needs such as counseling, transportation, treatment connections, and help returning to work or school.
Doug and Terri Rutter established the foundation in memory of their son, Rylie, who died from an accidental fentanyl poisoning after years of working toward sobriety. They saw how the cost of sober living, transportation, counseling, and other essentials can make it hard for someone to keep going. The foundation aims to remove those barriers and give others a stronger chance to build lasting recovery.
“Rylie kept trying, even when recovery was difficult. We started this foundation because we know how much a safe place to live, a ride to treatment, or help with one expense can mean to someone who is trying to move forward. We want his life to help give others that chance,” said Doug Rutter.
The foundation’s work is shaped by that experience. It focuses on the period after treatment, when a person may be ready to continue recovery but unable to afford sober living, get to counseling, or meet another basic need. By helping with those costs, the foundation seeks to prevent a setback in resources from ending someone’s progress.
For families supporting a loved one through recovery, the foundation also works to educate and reduce stigma. It partners with sober living providers, treatment programs, and recovery organizations to expand access to recovery support. Donors fund the work; they are supporters, not the people receiving services.
In April 2025, KVIA shared Rylie’s story and reported on the foundation’s plans to help with treatment scholarships, sober living, job training, and other recovery needs in El Paso. In July 2025, the foundation donated to Turner Recovery House in Kerrville to help repair a sober living house after flooding.
People can support this work or seek assistance by visiting the foundation for sober living support.
The foundation continues to focus on the practical side of recovery. It helps people who are leaving treatment and need a stable place to live, a way to get to appointments, or help with a single expense that could otherwise derail their progress. That approach comes directly from Rylie’s determination to keep trying, even when recovery was difficult.