The Origin of Unity House
In 2000, after years of abusing alcohol and drugs I had reached my physical, emotional, and spiritual bottom. I reached out for help and the recovery community in the Quad Cities was there to support me. I did what was suggested of me: I went to 12-step meetings, got a sponsor, and worked the steps. For the first time in my life, I began to have a real and meaningful relationship with God. Life started to get better.
About two years later, I decided to undertake the re-building of a former “crack house” to use as rental property, and in the fall of 2002 the re- construction began. The work seemed to progress slowly, as much needed to be done to the building. It had been abused and neglected for years. In addition to raising part of the building six inches, a great deal of work on the foundation was necessary, as well as extensive improvement of the windows, siding, interior walls and ceilings.
On April 7th of 2003, with the project still underway, I volunteered to deploy as a Department of Defense Civilian to Camp Anaconda in Balad, Iraq, about 45 miles northwest of Baghdad. The work entailed installing armor and air conditioning on HMMWV’s (Humvees) to provide much-needed protection for our soldiers. During my 4½-month stay in Iraq, we worked seven days a week, 18 hours per day, with the remainder used for some sleep, prayer, and meditation. While there, I was exposed to some of the Iraqi people and their living conditions. I realized even more just how much I had to be thankful for.
With my sponsor as a guide and example, I made the decision to convert the house I was rebuilding into a “three-quarter” house for recovering alcoholics and addicts in an effort to give something back to my community. My hope is to provide housing for people coming from treatment centers yet needing some additional time before making the transition back to living on their own or returning to their families. A three-quarter house is a place where people in recovery learn to live together in harmony and assist each other in the growth of their sobriety. The house has a resident manager and a format the residents follow in order to keep their programs going and the house clean. On-site UA (urine analysis) and BAC (blood alcohol content) tests are randomly performed to protect the integrity of the house. There is a curfew during the first 30 days of 10:30 p.m. This is called the transitional period. Unity House strives to provide fertile ground for people to grow spiritually and emotionally.
In December of 2004, the first resident was welcomed into Unity House, which took its name from the three precepts of Alcoholics Anonymous – Unity, Recovery, and Service. In January of 2006, Unity House #2 – or “Unity East” as it is lovingly referred to by its residents, was opened. Four months later, Unity House #3, just one block away from Unity House #2, opened its doors. At the beginning of 2007 we started work on Unity House #4, which officially opened its doors in September 2007. In February of 2008 Unity House #5 opened it's doors.
I take no credit for the growth of the Unity House program, since I know well enough that the Good Lord runs the show. My job is to keep putting one foot in front of the other, listening to His leads and remaining grateful for another day of sobriety. Praise the Lord!
