Help Make our Transition Program a Home!
Renovations were recently completed at the Fairmont Inn to house up to 18 men providing a 6 month continuum of care for men in addiction recovery. You can read more about the new transition program here. In December, Samaritan Inns launched a new transitional treatment program and are quickly moving towards accepting our first residents to the program. But we need your help!
The Fairmont Inn is weeks away from a city inspection that will allow it’s doors to officially open to these men. There is a need to outfit the kitchen and quickly prior to that inspection. To make this happen, please use our Walmart kitchen gift registry for the Fairmont Inn and send the link to friends of Samaritan Inns who have been involved with the ministry over the years.
When you give from our wish list, you help make our program a home for those who need it most!
A New Transition Program Arrives at the Fairmont Inn!
On December 11th, Samaritan Inns held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the launch of a new transitional treatment program.
At a time when substance abuse has become a national epidemic, DC has the highest rate of substance abuse in our nation. This new program looks to create long term solutions, linking a 28 day treatment program with our Affordable Housing Recovery Program.
This new program, serving about 50 men each year, applying evidence-based practices to further address the complexity of co-occurring disorder (substance use disorders and mental illness). In the new program, individuals fighting addiction will be able to fortify their newfound physical, emotional, and psychological well-being and begin to learn a new way of life, providing counseling, crisis intervention, GED preparation, financial management, vocational readiness, employment services, and much more.
Special thank you to DAVIS Construction and their contractors for their work in the renovation. We cannot wait to restore hope for so many in this beautiful new home!
2018 Clark Davis Breakfast
On December 6th, DAVIS Construction and Clark Construction held their annual benefit breakfast for Samaritan Inns. Monday Properties graciously opened their roof deck, recently built by DAVIS Construction, in Rosslyn with panoramic views of the city.
We are grateful to their generosity and commitment to our mission, which made the launching our Transitional Living Program possible!
Lee’s Story of Hope
When Lee Pearson’s wife threw him out of their house, he only took one thing with him: His Certificate of Honorable Discharge from the US Army. “It’s because it’s the only thing I thought I did well,” he said.
After being discharged from military service, Lee worked for the National Archives as a security officer. But one of his co-workers introduced him to crack cocaine. “Once you go over, there’s no return. And I went over. I partied every night. Even though I had to go to work the next day, I still partied. And, it started to take me down. Late paying bills. Stealing. Whatever it took for me to get it, I was doing. It all goes with the territory.
“And my life started to completely deteriorate. Real fast. To the point where I lost everything: my family, our townhouse, my job with the government.” In the end, Lee lived in a school bus on 5th Street NW. “I was homeless for 4 years.”
One day, high and staying in a crack house, Lee heard that bill collectors were looking for him. And the only way out that he saw was through a window. “I jumped out the window, and broke my wrist. Then I ran. I ran to the White House. That night, I slept on a bench near the White House.” The next day, he was in so much pain. “I told myself, you know what? I’m tired of living like this. Something’s got to change.”
So he walked several miles to a Veterans Administration (VA) hospital. “I think it was God’s grace that I even thought about the VA,” he said.
Lee participated in a 90-day treatment program at the VA Hospital. His counselor told him that 90 days is not enough for a 
person to reestablish back into society. The counselor recommended Samaritan Inns because of the Treatment and Recovery Continuum of Care.
This is a key feature of Samaritan Inns. Each successive step helps to meet the individual’s needs, while fostering greater independence and responsibility. Lee stayed at the Mozart Inn.
After that, he was introduced to Jesse Washington, our Co-Director of Affordable Housing Communities/SRO, who told him, “Why don’t you go to the next step, and give our SRO a shot?”
The Single Room Occupancy program is the last phase in the Continuum.
So Lee moved to Tabitha House. Gradually, his recovery started to reap long-term benefits. He reestablished a relationship with his daughters and ex-wife. He found a job as a shipping supervisor for a government agency.
Upon reflecting on Lee’s time in the program, Jesse shared, “Samaritan Inns gave Lee the opportunity to clean up the wreckage of his past. In doing this, he was able to become a productive member of society again, and be there to see his daughters grow up.”
In addition to his government job, Lee works at Samaritan Inns as an evening property manager at Elisha House.
“I can’t say enough about how Samaritan Inns saved my life. I love working with the residents. I let them see that they, too, can do this.”
In addition to his Army service, Lee has discovered that this is something else he does well.
“I’m almost 60 years old now. But I still have plenty of years to go. I truly am grateful. God has blessed me. In turn, I try to bless somebody else. It’s that simple. You know, I can’t keep what I got, less I give it away. So I give it away every day. I come to work motivated to give back.”
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