The typical woman in the house has just completed a residential inpatient substance abuse program and has a history of mental health issues.
Each night, the state helps pay for around 200 beds for women dealing with substance abuse and mental health issues. The Tina Klem Serenity House in Bridgeport is one of them.
The house has a purposeful design. Is interior was the project of students from the University of Bridgeport, and the idea was to create a welcoming environment that would help, not hinder, a woman’s recovery. That’s what initially brought me to Bridgeport. In the end, the story wasn’t about the house at all, but rather the women who lived inside it.
I spoke with two women. They've asked not to use their names as they are in delicate personal situations. The first woman dealt with alcohol abuse; the second, both alcohol and heroin.
Woman 1: My choice of drug is alcohol. And depression... I came depressive. I was 12-and-a-half when my mother died, and my father had already passed away. So that’s where my depression came in.
Woman 2: The last six years was when I actually walked out the door and never came back to my family or my home… I have three kids, a husband, and my mom lived with us. Basically, when my addiction started really taking off, I had stole money from them. I would not show up for days on end, and I broke their hearts. I broke their hearts.
Woman 1: One thing with my depression – risk factor is arguing. I don’t like loud arguing. People to argue. That’s a risk factor for me to drink. Then my husband had a stroke, three and a half years ago. Because I know I used to go and see him, right? I used to go when I was half drunk. Came back. Half drunk. So I had to learn because I was angry with him and I really didn’t know.
Woman 2: My mom was really ill at the time, and I couldn’t do anything for her and I asked her for money all the time. So, one day, I was so sick of myself, looking at myself, I left and I never came back. I never went back. Through the years, I’ve called them a couple of times. My disease is so sick that I was actually going to be able to see them one time and instead of going, I got high. That’s how this disease works. You’re nothing anymore, basically, but the drug.
Both women wound up in treatment programs. Eventually, they both wound up at the Tina Klem Serenity House operated by Recovery Network of Programs. They can stay for 90 days. The typical woman in the house has just completed a residential inpatient substance abuse program and has a history of mental health issues.
The average day consists of meetings, intensive counseling, group sessions, the possibility of random urine tests, chores, dinner, and regulated free time. Each woman has a lot of work to do before she’s ready to leave. The hope is that a warm, home-like environment takes one small variable off the plate.
Woman 2: This is my bedroom, which I share with two other women. This is what I saw when I first came in here. I was so excited. The room is that nice palish yellow color and, as you can see, the sun comes in through the windows and it just brightens up the room. It’s nice and large. We fit comfortably. I couldn't believe it. You know, I thought that park bench was going to be my home. I really, really did, and I sometimes think it's an absolute miracle that I got here. Yeah.
Woman 1: Oh, you don’t know. It’s really warming. And, one thing – I’m safe here… It’s very calm, the rooms are beautiful, the atmosphere, the painting is very relaxing, the women are fabulous, the counselors are fabulous. It’s like I am at home.
Woman 2: That sun shining through that window, I was like, wow. This is for me? I can stay here? You’re really going to let me stay here ? A drug addict alcoholic? Cause all I used to get were like strange looks from people like, ooh, she smells. You know, just looks. I was always embarrassed by myself. But here, I was like, this is good. I can do this. Because they let me in here. They saw something in me that I didn’t...I lost hope until I came here...I have so many people in my corner now that I can’t be all that bad.
Woman 1: You’re not. You’re a good person.
Woman 2: And that’s what this does for me here, you know?
Both women are now living independently and have left the Tina Klem Serenity House. It's a place in high demand. It has just 12 beds. The wait list is 25 women long.
