Steps to Recovery Homes reopened their Miracles Happen resale store on Friday, March 17, with a grand opening ceremony at noon. The Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce joined them for a ribbon-cutting ceremony with light entertainment and refreshments.
Steps to Recovery Homes is a nonprofit organization that aims to provide safe and structured environments free of alcohol and drugs for those recovering from addiction. They focus on behavior modification, raising awareness of core issues and integrating individuals back into the community. Since opening in 2013, it has expanded to add job development and an outpatient treatment center.
Steps offers separate recovery homes for men and women, as well as a transitional living facility to provide an integrative step from a more structured living environment to one with more freedom, allowing clients to slowly adjust back into society.
A more recent addition is the Konnect Wellness Center, an outpatient treatment center that provides therapy services for clients. Their job development program also assists participants with prerequisites for employment, such as getting certifications, building resumes, doing mock interviews and getting haircuts.
The Miracles Happen resale store provides funding for the organization as well as giving clients a chance to work in the store or in the warehouse. Although the store closed last March, the foundation has since purchased and renovated a new building to house it.
“It’s really about bringing in funding and people from the community to have a place to see what we’re doing,” said Damien Browning, CEO and founder of Steps to Recovery Homes.
Steps is currently seeing a success rate of roughly 50% for its clients. According to Browning, who focuses on long-term recovery, over 200 out of about 400 clients are still living independently. Their job development program is seeing about a 90% success rate.
“We don’t just offer a place to stay,” Browning said. Steps provides financial services, gym memberships, bikes, equine therapy and furniture for when clients move out. They also take clients on camping, hiking and kayaking trips to enable them to become close to one another.
