Sober today: House for recovering alcoholics gets bigger

Tom Jones figures he's passed the old brick house at Sixth Avenue and Sixth Street SE hundreds of times over the years, too drunk to know what went on there or to care.

Today, it's his home, and his hope.

“It's given me a chance to learn a sober life, a life I'd never known before,” Jones said. “I'm like a little kid, learning to walk all over again.”

Jones, 49, moved into Safe Place in November. After 38 years of drinking, “I was getting tired of getting hurt all the time,” he said. “I knew life wasn't going to get any better the way I was doing it. I could see myself slowly killing myself, the way my dad and my brother killed themselves.”

Jones' story is familiar at Safe Place, which provides shelter and support for recovering alcoholics and addicts.

The non-profit and its supporters will celebrate the anniversary of Safe Place's expansion project Saturday, and Safe Place may yet see more expansion, said director Mike Maynard.

The foundation's board is developing a long-term plan that could include buying nearby property for a 70-bed facility that also would provide emergency detoxification services now provided at local hospitals.

In the most recent expansion, a four-year capital campaign funded the purchase of a second house and its renovation, which became a mostly do-it-yourself project.

“We really cut our budget down,” said Maynard.

A grant from the Hall-Perrine Foundation covered most of the $100,000 purchase. Staff and volunteers did the subsequent demolition, carpentry, flooring and painting to bring renovation costs down from a $300,000 initial estimate to about $60,000.

The 10 additional beds bring Safe Place's capacity to 33.

“Within three weeks, we were full over there, and we've gone back to a pretty lengthy waiting list,” said Maynard. “It's been a blessing, though, to be able to serve the additional people.”

Residents can stay for up to 18 months if they're clean and sober and can prove it - staff can request urinalysis at any time. Residents pay $290 monthly rent, provide their own food and do their share of household chores.

Attendance at sessions to study Alcoholics Anonymous's “Big Book” is mandatory, as are two community meetings weekly and membership in at least three AA groups.

“If I had not gone to the Safe Place, I would probably be drunk today,” said Sherri Bishop, who lived at Safe Place about two months last summer after completing a residential treatment program. “It's there that I probably learned more about myself and my addiction than anywhere else. I'm not sure if it was the place or the time, or a little bit of both.”

“We all get along really well,” Jones added. “We do have people who end up going back out and trying again (to be allowed back).”

“I got kicked out of here, actually,” said Tony Ashby.

Ashby's relapse came last year, when he was living at Safe Place. He returned to finish his stay, later moving to his own place. Ashby and Maynard now comprise Safe Place's full-time staff.

“I just stayed involved with recovery, and I got into a position where I could help others,” said Ashby, 30, who interviews prospective residents and helps devise their recovery plans.

Jones approaches his own future with the one-day-at-a-time philosophy adopted by many in recovery.

“Just to stay sober and hopefully be able to spend time with my grandchildren” is Jones' immediate goal. “I'm sober today, and I'm thankful.”