There is a Solution!
Donleigh Recovery House 10306 Donleigh Dr. Columbia, MD 21046
Please allow us to introduce ourselves. We are your family members. We are your neighbors, your friends and your co-workers. We live and work all over Howard County. You see us everywhere. We share the same libraries, roads, restaurants and stores as you. You see us where we work. You see us where you work. You see us at your place of worship. We’re in your schools, as well.
Who are we?
We are those who battle Substance Use Disorder (SUD). We are everywhere. Sometimes we suffer silently. Other times our behavior is so egregious, it can’t be ignored. We’re not hard to find and our numbers are growing. The courts are overwhelmed. The jails are overcrowded. The suicide rate is skyrocketing. We all know and love someone who is suffering with alcoholism or drug addiction. For every one of them, there is a family in deep despair, too. They need help! We all need help!
The Rehab/Relapse Merry-Go-Round
What do we do with alcoholics and addicts who just can’t put it down? How do we help a friend or loved-one who is habitually and systematically ruining their life? We send them to rehab. At tremendous expense, we send them to rehabs, treatment centers and IOP (Intensive Outpatient Programs). What if that doesn’t work? We try AA, NA, therapy and medications. What if that doesn’t work? We rinse and repeat. After many failures, it’s likely our still-suffering friend is very low on two things: hope and cash.
That’s Where The Two Birds, One Stone Committee
enters the picture.
We are a grass-roots committee of volunteers
Who are focused on creating long-term living environments conducive to long-term recovery—at a cost normal people can afford. No insurance required. An hourly-wage job is sufficient. From personal experience, we have come to realize that 28 day programs barely scratched the surface of our friend’s issues. Our friend will likely need many months if not years in a safe, affordable, structured, supportive home. Institutions can only do so much. Homes are where the healing happens—at a fraction of the cost of extended rehab or jail. Not to mention, a much higher success rate. Two Birds, One Stone.
The ideal place would kill two birds with one stone
Provide on-going treatment for substance use disorder AND provide affordable long-term housing in a safe neighborhood. The Two Birds, One Stone Committee’s mission is to establish two such homes in Howard County—one for men and one for women. Just as the housing crisis in Howard County affects everyone, so does the substance abuse crisis. There is actually a simple, inexpensive, very effective, win-win solution to both crises.
Our mission
Substance Use Disorder involves a complex and nasty web of physical, emotional, mental, financial, legal, and familial breakdowns. Our friend is engulfed in a quagmire they are ill equipped to manage. Our mission is to help create a supportive, structured, affordable, loving, homey environment for the newly recovering to start and continue to re-build their lives—for as long as it takes.
Our 20 Year History
Housing like that may sound like the cherry on top of wishful thinking. Actually, a home like this already exists. It’s known as The Donleigh Recovery House for Men. Donleigh House is located at 10306 Donleigh Drive in the Allview Estates neighborhood of Columbia. Mike and Joanie Elder acquired the house in 2004 with the idea of creating Howard County’s first recovery house, a/k/a sober house, a/k/a half-way house, a/k/a three-quarter-way house. The Elders hoped they could establish a home for their then 32 yr old daughter and other women like her, who were fighting SUD. The home would accommodate women with children in need of a safe, supportive, nurturing environment. A well-managed home, clean and safe, structured, drug and alcohol free, twelve-step inspired, supportive and affordable housing is what the Elders envisioned. Nothing like that had ever existed in Howard County.
It didn’t take long for the Elders to realize they had bitten off more than they could chew. Several factors contributed to the decision to convert the women’s house to a men’s house. The demand for rooms was less than anticipated. The needs of the women were more than anticipated. It soon became apparent that their undertaking was both underfunded and understaffed. A decision was made to convert The Donleigh Recovery House for Women to The Donleigh Recovery House for Men. In just a few months, the house was fully occupied with men seeking a better life for themselves. Donleigh House for Men has been at it’s eight-bed capacity continuously for over twenty years.
Hear From Our Residents
Profiles in Recovery
By: Donleigh Recovery House Alumni
With contributions from: Mike and Joanie Elder
The best way to describe the amazing transformations that occur there is by hearing the stories from the Donleigh Dudes themselves. While you read their stories, try to wrap your head around just how dysfunctional their lives once were. And then compare that to what their lives are like today. This book is all about what long-term recovery looks like and how it happens.
Join Our Committee
If you like what you hear, if you would like to contribute to the expansion of the Donleigh House model, then let’s organize ourselves and make it happen.
Please join our Two Birds, One Stone Committee.
You won’t see a “Donate Here” link on our website.
We’re not looking for money. We’re looking for ideas. If Mike and Joanie can do all this on their own, surely, as a coalition of directly impacted citizens, we can come up with a plan to open a few more Donleigh Houses.