Butte SPIRIT Homes is expanding its mission to serve more people recovering from alcohol or drug disorders by purchasing a third residential facility, this one to support men as they fully integrate into the community.
The home will serve men in longer-term recovery who have graduated from the organization's intensive program and simply need supportive, sober living without mandatory treatment requirements.
"They're already stable but they're looking for additional support," Demetrius Fassas, executive director of Butte SPIRIT Homes, told The Montana Standard. "They're stable in their recovery but want to live amongst people who are recovery oriented."
Butte SPIRIT Homes recently purchased the home for $435,000 following a major fundraising effort this year. The location will be disclosed once Fassas and others meet with neighbors to answer any questions and address any concerns.
That's expected to happen soon and the home is tentatively set to open in December, pending final renovations and staffing.
The half-acre property has a renovated interior with enough bedrooms and bathrooms to serve up to eight men in recovery at one time. It also has a shop building with a vehicle lift that will be leased to bring in additional operating income for the home.
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The organization has two existing, state-licensed homes in Butte with intensive clinical treatment programs.
It opened a home on West Galena Street in December 2020 where eight men can stay at one time, each with individualized treatment plans developed by licensed addictions counselors, care managers and peer support specialists.
It opened a similar home for women on Greenwood Avenue in October 2024. Fassas co-founded the organization with Sean Wisner, SPIRIT standing for Silver Bow Persons Invested in Recovery and Inner Transformation.
The existing homes have served 111 men and women since January 2021, which includes current residents. Twenty-two have successfully completed all three phases of the program. Most who did not left the program early against medical advice.
It's not a quick or easy program. It includes curfews, rules and requirements, such as weekly meetings with an addictions counselor and a case manager and attending at least three chemical dependency groups weekly.
The homes served 48 residents in just the past fiscal year, an 85% increase from the previous year. It has doubled graduation numbers in the past year and of all graduates, 73% have had continuous sobriety.
Fassas said the numbers demonstrate that "excellence and expansion so hand in hand."
There is no requirement to stay but studies have shown that longer stays in treatment or support settings increase a person's chances for lasting recovery and sobriety.
That's a big reason why a new transition home is planned. It will provide continuing support without rigid treatment requirements.
"Our graduates are succeeding, finding stable employment and rebuilding their lives," Fassas said. "Many struggle to find housing in the community due to criminal records or lack of rental history."
Those who stay at the transition home already have jobs, Fassas said, and those who were on probation are now off probation.
"At this point, they've paid off debts that were hanging over their heads and they're looking for supportive housing," he said.
The transitional home will be certified to standards set by the National Alliance of Recovery Residences, a nonprofit organization working to expand availability of "well-operated, ethical and supportive recovery housing" in the U.S.
It has 43 state affiliates, including Recovery Access Montana, a network of recovery home operators that performs annual evaluations and enforces standards. Fassas is one of its founding board members.
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Butte SPIRIT Homes is already planning for a women's transitional home. A capital campaign starts this month with hopes of raising $400,000 by this coming June.
Wisner said the organization has strong support in Butte from both individuals and foundations.
"We fundraised the full amount for the men's (transitional) home that we're opening in the next few months and we're actively fundraising to acquire the women's home," Wisner said.
"We have a little bit of a head start, but we have a ways to go."