CHRISTIAN CENTER TO TACKLE METH

Drug Abuse: A Christian Organization Is Quietly Opening A Second Street
Facility To Treat Chronic Alcohol And Drug -- Especially Meth -- Addicts

By November, a nonprofit plans to open a 44-person residential treatment
facility for chronic drug and alcohol addicts in a century-old building in
downtown Duluth.

Minnesota Teen Challenge is working on a $300,000 renovation of the
Barnes-Ames Building -- a former YMCA and more recently the Duluth school
district's Adult Learning Center, at 2 E. Second St.

Some neighbors and elected officials want to know more about what they feel
could be a drain on an already troubled neighborhood. Proponents of the
evangelical-based residential program say it will have the opposite effect.

The facility will be for men, about 65 percent of whom are probably
addicted to methamphetamine, said Rich Scherber, executive director of the
organization with headquarters in Minneapolis. MnTC's Christian emphasis,
longevity and intensiveness make it more successful than most, he said.

"We did a survey recently and found that60 percent of the former residents
we reached said they were drug-free one year later," Scherber said. "That
is phenomenal for meth."

Addiction experts, social services and law enforcement officials
increasingly call the spread of meth -- a highly addictive form of speed --
a growing epidemic in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Many welcome the facility.

Scherber said most residents will come from northern Minnesota, either
through court-ordered treatment or private referrals. The program is
voluntary and requires personal dedication and financial sacrifice, he said.

MnTC's facilities in the Twin Cities house more than 300 men, women and
teens. According to National Teen Challenge, MnTC's umbrella organization,
there are more than350 Teen Challenge facilities worldwide.

Scherber does not expect to treat juveniles or women in Duluth in the near
future.

Last November, the Duluth School Board voted unanimously to sell the
building at the corner of Lake Avenue and Second Street to MnTC for
$300,000. Scherber expects as much will be spent on renovation. Nearly all
the money comes from private foundations, churches and businesses.

Treatment is free to those who qualify, which is about 95 percent of those
in the program. St. Louis County also has agreed to pay a $700-a-month
general assistance subsidy for residents in the program, he said. Donations
make up the rest of the $2,100 a month cost per person, Scherber said.

Anchor Or Lifeline?

The program appears to be under the radar.

There was no groundbreaking ceremony nor were news releases issued. Mayor
Herb Bergson apologized Thursday because he wasn't aware of it.

"I've heard lots of people say they don't feel like they've received
adequate notice about this facility," said City Councilor Russ Stewart.

The building is in his district, which also will become home to a
controversial wet house for chronic alcoholics. The neighborhood already
hosts a teen and homeless drop-in center, two soup kitchens and emergency
shelters.

"A lot of the First Street businesses are fed up with services that take
from the neighborhood and don't give back," said Stewart, who owns a
business downtown. "And that's some people's perception of this."

Stewart said he's heard that Minnesota Teen Challenge is a responsible
program in other communities. But because the project didn't require
councilors' action, they didn't hear from the organization first-hand,
Stewart said.

He'd like a presentation to the council, he said.

Scherber said on Friday he would soon contact the mayor or Stewart. His
group was focused on getting the building into shape and didn't think to
contact elected officials, he said.

They'd approached the School Board, county social services, city Planning
Department and engineers, he said. One of their main supporters also has
been former Mayor Gary Doty, Scherber said.

Dozens of churches asked the organization to open a treatment center here,
he said. School Board members said proximity to students at nearby Unity
High School shouldn't pose a problem, nor should neighbors.

Residents also would be under 24-hour supervision, Scherber said.

"Our approach is exactly the opposite of those services and missions that
enable," Scherber said. "We try to break that behavior and remake people
into good, productive citizens and taxpayers."

Their Way

The men live in the building for an entire year. They work on community
projects -- such as shoveling sidewalks for shut-ins or painting a
playground fence -- and are not allowed outside employment.

The Teen Challenge program focuses on spiritual and emotional wellness,
such as overcoming rebellion and the self-destructive behavior, according
to MnTC materials. A pastor is assigned to each man and residents are
required to participate in daily prayer, chapel, counseling and choir.

"Minnesota Teen Challenge has had excellent success," said Deborah Durkin,
an environmental health specialist with the Minnesota Department of Health
who specializes in meth issues.

She said there are only about five small centers in the state aimed at
meth. And MnTC might be the only one housing residents for a year at a
time, Durkin said.

With the high cost of treatment, they can do that only with private
support, she said. About 70 percent of the organization's money comes from
donations, Scherber said.

With meth, Durkin said, the length of treatment appears to be more
important than the type of treatment. That's because the brain is damaged
by the drug and it can take six months or more to detox and recover many
basic cognitive functions.

Scherber said they don't really have a special program for meth, because
it's still a relatively new field of study.

"Our program is for any real chronic addicts and this is a great model,"
Scherber said. "It's no secret. We ask that they behave like a Christian,
and you must show us you want to be a Christian."

Paul Rivard, 20, a recovering meth addict and MnTC counselor and pastor in
training, said the Christian component was key for him and his family.

As he worked on the building's basement subflooring, he was asked why it
worked for him. Rivard, from St. Paul Park, Minn., said "Jesus Christ, and
the fact that it's long-term."

Duluth Bethel Society is another private nonprofit that operates five
community programs, including a halfway house.

"Pretty much the No. 1 drug of choice we see is meth," said Mike McIntyre,
residential treatment program director of the Duluth Bethel Society's Port
Rehabilitation Center for chemical dependency.

McIntyre said they're nearly full, and about 40 percent of clients in the
halfway house are fighting meth addiction.

"The good thing is, we believe we are getting better and better all the
time with treating meth (addiction)," he said.

Barnes-Ames Resurrection

Dennis Bradshaw, a pastor and private contractor from Duluth, is overseeing
the Barnes-Ames renovation and will stay on as maintenance supervisor.

Bradshaw said the building is in remarkable shape for its age. The original
builders used excellent materials: a brick exterior, cast-iron stairwells,
oak trim, heavy tiles and three-by-sixes for floors in the attic.

MnTC contractors had to fill in one of Duluth's few remaining indoor pools.
It took360 yards of sand and a thick layer of concrete. Bradshaw said
they'll turn the old poolside seats into three classrooms.

"You should have seen it," he said. "It's a shame, but there was no way to
salvage it (the pool)."

Bradshaw said they're building a restaurant-grade kitchen and basement
laundry, installing new walls, showers and handicap-accessible toilets.

The third floor will house the living quarters: 44 permanent beds in an
open room with built-in lockers. The wood floors will be refinished and the
interior painted.

The building has also yielded hidden treasure.

As a false wall was removed, workers found what's left of a mural of WWII
soldiers. They haven't decided whether they'll try to salvage it, Bradshaw
said. They also found an old projection room, where they probably played
silent films in a long-dismantled theater on the third floor, he said.

"When I first came in here, I knew..." Bradshaw said. "Even when they first
built this place, they were building it for Teen Challenge."