AGENCY OPENS HOME FOR RECOVERING ADDICTS

FALL RIVER -- Lisa Mason, once a cocaine-sniffing addict on the verge of
losing her life and child, now helps others who have fallen into a similar
trap.

Dorothy Duarte was a prostitute in New Bedford selling her body to feed it
heroin for 11 years.

That lifestyle led to her child being taken away from her and trouble with
the law.

After completing treatment and programs at Steppingstone Inc. she is
helping others at the agency's Pleasant Street home in New Bedford. There
she is preaching the ills of her former lifestyle and serving as a living
symbol of hope for those stuck in addiction.

Both women huddled in the background yesterday as officials, board members,
the mayor and public supporters dedicated Fall River's New Steppingstone
Transition House on North Main Street.

The $700,000 home, complete with elevators, is providing beds for five men
and five women who suffer from chemical addiction or homelessness.

Both Ms. Mason and Ms. Duarte are staff members at Steppingstone but in two
different cities. Both say they owe their lives to the agency for leading
them back to normal lives.

"I had no idea what a halfway house was before I came here," Ms. Duarte
said. "When I first came to the program I had a wall up and I was filled
with anger. I did not know anything about the program. I knew I needed
help. I knew I needed to be straight and stay straight."

After enrolling in the program for four months, Ms. Duarte found what she
had been searching for: a combination of spirituality and counseling that
led her to overcome her addiction and discover self-esteem.

"It was like a higher power was helping me. I knew I could not do it
myself," she said.

Two years later, after attending Bristol Community College and obtaining a
substance-abuse counseling certificate, Ms. Duarte has her child back and
is now working as a night manager at the Steppingstone Pleasant Street home
in New Bedford. There she teaches women the painful lessons she has learned.

For Ms. Mason, it is a similar tale of defeat, floundering and recovery.

She, too, is a staff member at Steppingstone but in Fall River where there
are three established homes and dozens of scattered apartments serving more
than 80 addicts and homeless people.

"The program made a tremendous difference in my seeking positive ways,"
said Ms. Mason.

The executive director of the home, Kathleen A. Clark, said the new gray
building just down the street from the other North Main Street Homes would
never have been possible without the help of the state and federal
governments and the city.

She also credited the Boston AIDS Housing for their work the last three
years in securing money to build the home.

Steppingstone began in 1971 as a residential halfway house for men and
women. It was originally located at the former Ivanhoe Hotel in Fall River
and was funded through the Department of Public Health.

In 1972, the agency moved to its headquarters on 466 N. Main Street. In
1982 the agency expanded again with the help of the United Way offering a
graduate program for residents who completed the substance abuse program
and were ready to live independently.

Last October the home in New Bedford was opened, serving 20 women. With
yesterday's opening, the agency is now serving about 90 people in the two
cities. Board members and city officials basked the agency and its staff in
praise for the difference they make for those who have hit rock bottom and
need help getting back up.

"Substance abuse is rampant; it is everywhere," board Chairman Owen Eagan
said. "You don't have to be a user or an addict to see the effect it is
having around us. It is, of course, a killer."

Fall River mayor Edward M. Lambert Jr. said the home is indicative of the
spirit in the area of helping others and caring. He said he had a family
member who was helped through Steppingstone many years ago. He said their
work is invaluable.

"In a very quiet way, Steppingstone has been serving this community ...
always looking for ways to make life better for those addicted," he said.