Last month the crisis ministry opened a new addiction recovery shelter.

“We’re growing,” said Dr. Steve Neatherlin, founder and director. “We’ve met a lot of our goals, the biggest being our ability to accept women into the program.”

Having opened April 16, the Humble House women’s residence is located on 45th Street in Temple. It’s a three-bedroom house, complete with a fully stocked pantry, a dining table and TV entertainment center.

“I imagine that with bunkbeds it’ll hold up to eight women,” said Brent Pope, administrator.

It currently has three residents ranging in age from 23-50.

“And one of them is pregnant,” Neatherlin said. “We’re expecting our first Humble House baby.”

The staff is just as excited at Mom, for a tot-sized Humble House T-shirt and baby blanket are waiting for the baby’s arrival.

With the addition of a women’s residence, Neatherlin and Pope had to tweak the Humble House recovery program.

“We added a parenting class to help rebuild family units,” Pope said. “That need isn’t as common among the men.”

“And we have a female counselor who visits the house twice a week to talk to the residents,” Neatherlin said. “That way if there are any issues that are specific to women, then they get taken care of.”

Kristen Neal of Killeen is the volunteer counselor. She’s the director of training at Chaplain Fellowship Ministries International, the non-profit faith-based group that helps fund Humble House Ministries.

“It’s been a great experience coming to visit with the ladies,” Ms. Neal said. “I’ve already seen a lot of growth in them.”

Adults suffering from addiction to drugs or alcohol are welcome to visit www.humblehouseministries.org or call 254-493-0547 for information.

Residents must be 18 or older and willing to commit to at least six months of faith-based recovery.

“We see the best success rate with those who undergo the program for six months,” Pope said. “That gives people time to focus on themselves, heal and then go back to work.”

Since launching in October of 2007, Humble House Ministries has helped more than 250 people fight drug addiction.

At the women’s house

It was Wednesday night, and Janie was cooking dinner.

“Pork chops, homemade mashed potatoes, biscuits and salad,” Janie said. “Sure smells good, doesn’t it?”

The men and women of Humble House take turns cooking dinner for each other.

“Part of the recovery process is to take responsibility for yourself,” Neatherlin said. “And household chores are part of that.”

Breakfast is at 6 a.m. and from 7-7:45 a.m., it’s time to clean house and do laundry.

“It’s good here,” said Janie, a 50-year-old recovering from a drug addiction. Her last name is being withheld for security reasons. “Everybody’s made me feel real welcome here, and I know that if I didn’t come here when I did, I’d be dead.”

She became a resident of Humble House on May 11, and May 13 marked her first week of sobriety.

“I’m looking forward to my first 30 days of being clean,” Janie said. “And with God’s help, I’ll see that happen.”

To stay at the women’s shelter or at the men’s shelter (on Sixth Street in Temple), people must demonstrate a desire to quit their addiction.

“The commitment has to be there,” Neatherlin said. “So we ask that you be clean for two or three days before we let you in.”

There is a fee. The ministry charges $125 a week to help pay for food and utilities.

“Though we will sponsor the resident for the first month if they can’t pay,” Neatherlin said.

Funds for that come from public donations. Chaplain Fellow-ship Ministries International and First Assembly of God in Belton also offer financial help.

The cost out of pocket is well worth it to Janie and her housemates.

“It’s a lot better than $3,500,” said Felisha Key, 23, Humble House’s expectant mother. “That’s what I was looking at for other places. That and a long waiting list to get in.”

Casey Cope, 29, nodded.

“This place was here when I needed help,” Ms. Cope said. “I didn’t have to wait.”

Both Ms. Key and Ms. Cope have been in Humble House for a month. And they’ve been clean for more than 40 days.

They say they owe their success to God and to the Humble House program.

“It really does work,” Ms. Cope said. “You’re kept busy all day, so there’s not much time to get off track.”

After breakfast and morning chores, there’s an hour of prayer and a day full of group therapy and addiction recovery classes.

“And there’s a program every evening,” Ms. Cope said. “We (the housemates) also have a house meeting every day for accountability.”

The therapy and class sessions are conducted in large groups.

“We go to class with the men,” Ms. Cope said. “It’s valuable to hear a guy’s point of view.”

Ms. Cope thinks she’s doing well, and so does Ms. Key.

“I came here to be a better person,” Ms. Key said.

“And I came here to reunite with God,” Ms. Cope said. “And to know myself better.”

Humble updates

The women’s center isn’t the only new accomplishment for Humble House.

There’s also a new men’s center that opened in Gatesville last October.

Like a similar Humble House facility on 43rd Street in Temple, the Gatesville place is a four-man house that serves as a transitional residence for addicts who are able to work but still in recovery.

“The residents in those houses work full days and attend the evening classes,” Neatherlin said.

Clients usually return to work within their first 90 days of the program, but it varies for each individual. Some require more time, some less.

“It’s a step toward independence, but you’ve still got that support network that is so critical in recovery.”

Neatherlin knows first-hand how important that can be. He’s a recovered addict, and so is Pope, the man who helps him run the ministry. The pair practices what they preach: “Trust in God, trust in yourself and you’ll make it.”