Becoming A Resident
The First Step House is a non-profit organization chartered by the State of Illinois for the sole purpose of rehabilitating the man addicted to alcohol. We supply food and housing to a maximum of 8 residents simultaneously.
We facilitate 12th step work by providing sponsors a place to, in certain cases, house and feed the men they are working with for up to 8 weeks. We foster a safe and comfortable environment conducive to long-term sobriety. We focus on alcoholism and believe there is a difference between alcoholics and addicts. We will allow dually addicted, however, we talk about alcoholism, the 12 & 12 and the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous.
We are not a "treatment center", we have no medical staff or detox facility, the treatment is AA. We do not receive any government funding or take insurance payments, we are self-supporting by donations.
We are not a medical facility and do not allow any resident to keep medications of any kind on the premises. We have a zero tolerance for alcohol, drug use or aggression.
We hold 20 AA meetings per week including one open meeting on Sunday mornings at 9:30 AM so family and friends can come and support their loved ones.
Requirements for residency are:
- Must be an alcoholic male at least 18 years old
- Must not be taking any stimulants, opiates or sedative hypnotics, even if prescribed
- Must have 2 sponsors willing to work with the man while he is a resident
- Must have attended at least 3 AA meetings here at the house
- Rent is $80/week, $160 upfront (Room and board is included)
We require prospects to attend 3 meetings at the First Step House and have 2 AA sponsors who will request admittance for the man. These sponsors take the residents to outside meetings and begin to work the 12 step program of Alcoholics Anonymous with them. In addition to their two sponsors, they will be assigned a House Sponsor that will monitor his progress during his stay. We have a full time custodian who lives on the premises and monitors all resident activities.