The Shepherd’s House, a local transitional residential treatment program for adult men recovering from substance abuse, is planning on opening its first permanent housing facility at the corner of Dinsmore Drive and Fontaine Drive.
The organization, which has worked with individuals since 1989, purchased the apartment building at 2117 Fontaine Dr. in November of 2012 for $340,000, according to Fayette County PVA records.
Since the organization started in 1989, The Shepherd’s House has assisted more than 1,300 individuals, said executive director Jason Thomas. The non-profit currently operates three other facilities in Lexington for clients in the 12- to 18-month transitional living program, where they must obtain employment, become involved in a sobriety program (such as Narcotics Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous), undergo counseling, avoid legal troubles and maintain sobriety to graduate. During the transitional living program, Shepherd’s House clients are instructed in an array of life skills, such as budgeting finances, setting goals and learning valuable employment information.
The permanent housing facility is tentatively scheduled to open in June of this year, and will be able to accommodate nine clients who have already graduated from the transitional living program, meaning, among other things, that have been clean and sober for at least one year.
“It will be our clients who are much more stable,” Thomas said, “And if they continue to do what they are supposed to, they are welcome to stay there. This just provides them with a safe and affordable place for housing.”
As with the transitional living houses, clients in the permanent housing facility will have to maintain sobriety and employment to pay rent. A Shepherd’s House staff person will also be onsite to “monitor” the clients.
Thomas said Shepherd’s House was interested in this property mainly because of its availability and location. “It’s right on the bus route,” he said, “and it’s close to a lot of different potential resources for our clients.”
To help with the cost of reconstructing the new permanent housing facility, and to assist with purchasing dishes and furniture for the units, Shepherd’s House is holding a “Walkway to Recovery” fundraiser, where friends of the organization can donate $125 for a uniquely engraved brick with names or memorable sayings that will pave the front walkway to the new property, being the first thing clients see as they enter their new homes.
For more information on Shepherd’s House, or to make a donation to the “Walkway to Recovery” program, visit www.shepherdshouseinc.com.