HOME FOR RECOVERING ADDICTS WILL OPEN SOON

Eight to 10 men will be housed on Clay Street

The home looks like many others in the area, television blaring in the
living room where a worn couch and two chairs sit and porcelain plates
pictured with lighthouses decorate the mantle.

But this home will house eight to 10 men 18 and older who have been referred
by the courts to the Lighthouse Recovery Program, a 12-step alternate
program that aims to provide education, care and Christian mentoring to men
with drug and alcohol addictions.

"We're very excited about this," said Roger Stacy, president of Community
Solutions, a local group working to prevent drug and alcohol abuse. "There
is a tremendous need for both men and women for transitional living."

The home at 324 Clay St. has been freshly painted, and volunteers are
furnishing it with beds, office equipment, a dining table and living room
furniture. Residents should begin to move into the home within a month, said
Earl Loney, co-director at the home and a volunteer.

The men who are court-referred to the one-year program must follow their
treatment plan developed by a drug and alcohol counselor or risk having
their original sentences reinstated, Loney said. The program is strictly
voluntary, however, and residents will have a two-week trial period to
decide if they prefer another sentence.

The men must work, attend meetings, pay rent and abide by all house rules.
Rents have not been established yet, Loney said. But it will be based on
income.

Loney and co-director Sandy Rich will do initial intake, then assign the men
to a counselor for further treatment.

Lighthouse Recovery has existed for about a year and a half, a joint effort
between First Baptist Church, Owensboro Christian Church and about eight
other churches. But the home was recently bought to expand its programming
to offer transitional housing. Gary Baldwin, pastor of First Baptist Church,
could not be reached for comment.

Before the home, those in recovery often stayed at homeless shelters in the
area, Loney said.

"So many of these kids are transient and are living from place to place, and
there is no structure," he said. Addicts need a complete change of
environment to recover successfully, said Loney, who is studying to be a
drug and alcohol counselor.

The program has an estimated budget of $35,000 to $40,000, and volunteers
hope the churches will cover the cost.

Victory Properties owns the home and donated it to the program for the
transitional facility, Stacy said.