Serenity House Preps For New Location
Serenity House was granted a zoning variance by the Warsaw Board of Zoning Appeals last month, and now the substance abuse recovery program is prepping to open its third location in Warsaw.
Jeff “Hoss” Smith, the house manager at the Warsaw men’s house, says there’s still some work to be done, but he hopes the new home, located at 321 High St., will be operational later this summer.
“We’re in escrow with it. We’ll probably be closing next week,” Smith says. “We’re looking at July sometime.”
Smith says the house will have 16 beds with two “emergency beds.” “That gives me a little overflow in case I need it,” Smith explains. “I have to keep my houses full at all times.”
And he’ll likely need that cushion. Smith says there’s a waiting list of 70 people wanting to get into Serenity House. “If I could have 10 men’s houses in Warsaw, I would have 10 men’s houses,” he says.
Some controversy did come up when Serenity House was looking for its newest location. Smith says the neighbors need not worry about the tenants at the house. “Our guys are very respectful. We are a very structured organization,” Smith says.
“When we started the first house, [Warsaw] wasn’t really aware of what we actually did,” Smith continues. “They’ve never experienced it before. We didn’t have any issues when we first started up – even when we opened the second house”
The program employs the same sort of 12-step program that has made groups like Alcoholics Anonymous successful. It also requires the tenants follow very strict guidelines.
“We have rules that they have to follow,” Smith explains. “We not only encourage them, but help them get jobs.”
Smith recounts the story of one of the recovering addicts he worked with. The man was a meth addict facing 100 years in prison, but he got into the Serenity House program. He’s now the general manager of a company and moving up,” says Smith.
At the BZA meeting, there was some concern over parking. “We do hold a lot of recovery meetings,” says Smith. “I had a meeting with Mayor Thallemer the other day. We’re going to move some of the meetings.” Smith hopes to move the local churches that can accommodate the parking situation.
Property value was also addressed at the BZA meeting. Smith says there’s nothing to worry about in that regard.
“Actually, we brought the property value up in the neighborhood. Our landscaping makes it look like a showpiece,” says Smith. “We’ve seen that carried down through East Fort Wayne Street. We want to be the leaders in the neighborhood.”
Smith says the work, such as the landscaping, helps the men stay focused and achieve their ultimate goal of living a productive life, clean and sober.