Jan 16, 2020 2 min read

MONESSEN – Women who are committed to ending their addictions to drugs and alcohol will have a new opportunity for hope in Monessen.

The Charleroi-based Club Serenity is preparing next week to open the first recovery house in the Mon Valley.

“We’ll help them get back on the right path if they want to,” said club President Mark St. Syr.

The volunteer organization provides a meeting space for anonymous groups to support each other in getting off of drugs and alcohol. Nearly 400 people walk through its doors a week.

It has been working with Westmoreland Drug & Alcohol Commission to remodel 17 McKee Ave. into a sober living environment for five women and a “house mom,” St. Cyr said.

Each tenant will pay about $450 a month to live there and be required to secure employment, St. Cyr said Wednesday. The commission will provide oversight of the recovery home.

“We always wanted to have something more than a meeting space,” he said.

Commission executive director Colleen Hughes said there is a need to establish long-term, safe recovery houses in the Mon Valley.

“Too many individuals return to an unhealthy living arrangement, which ultimately can lead to relapse,” Hughes said.

Club Serenity will host an open house at the recovery home from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.