What We Stand For
Lighthouse Residences co-founders have a combined 40 years of continuous sobriety and active involvement in recovery communities. They recognize that the lack of sober homes in Chicago’s North Shore has been an unnecessary disadvantage to individuals who are trying to establish recovery. Their desire to support transformative experiences comes from a deep sense of gratitude and commitment to the people and principles that have supported their personal development since they embarked on their recovery journey.
Our Mission
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Our Vision
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To support transformative recovery experiences for individuals with substance use disorder who have completed or are currently in treatment. We do this by providing safe, affordable, dignified, and supportive living environments for these individuals as they build a solid foundation in their local recovery community.
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The Alcoholics Anonymous Responsibility Pledge states that:
“I am responsible. When anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help, I want the hand of A.A. always to be there, and for that, I am responsible.” The founders of Lighthouse Residences have taken this pledge to heart and want to be able to carry on this legacy of responsibility into their charitable endeavors. |
Who We Are
Chris Brand
Executive Director
“Ask Him in your morning meditation what you can do each day for the man who is still sick. The answers will come if your own house is in order.”
- Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 164 I was told sobriety was simple: all I had to do was show up and change everything about myself.
I was desperate enough that I was willing to try anything that was suggested: I completed an out-patient treatment program, attended multiple 12-step meetings weekly, worked the twelve steps with my sponsor, began sponsoring men and taking them through the 12 steps, made hospital calls, and participated in interventions. Today, I am still taking those actions, because it keeps working. I answer the call and continue to ask myself "What more can I be doing to help those addicts who are still suffering and their families?" Since getting sober in the late 90s, I have been privileged to witness a great change in our communities: the general population’s growing acceptance, compassion, and understanding of addiction. We are not outcasts any longer, but loved family members who are sick and need to get better. Today, even though we have this newfound support, our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, our mothers and fathers, aunts and uncles, are still dying of this disease in greater numbers than ever before. Our non-profit, Lighthouse Residences, is what this recovered member can do to help save lives. I hope to see you as we trudge the road of happy destiny. |
Veronica Rivas
Board Chair
“What I mean by spiritual growth is this: an ever-deepening capacity to embrace life with justice, compassion, curiosity, awe, wonder, serenity, and humility.”
- Rami Shapiro, Recovery: The Sacred Art, pg. xv I have been shown that service to others is my path and purpose, extending to all living beings the unconditional love that has been freely given to me since I started my recovery journey in 2002. I am both by nature and by necessity a perennial seeker. Aided in my search by meditation, reading, and listening to others, I am constantly adapting my beliefs and shedding those that no longer serve me well. This has created a colorful amalgam of spiritual practices that both comfort and challenge me to keep looking within. Through these practices I discover an interior vastness that allows all sorts of seemingly opposing emotions and experiences to peacefully co-exist. When I am spiritually centered, I am no longer at war with myself: I simply recognize thoughts and feelings as waves in the ever-shifting sea of my consciousness, and observe them compassionately as they pass. This is what empowers me to cease fighting everything and everyone, and embrace every moment as it presents itself with curiosity and wonder. There is no need to do this perfectly in order for me to access contentment and serenity: a commitment to keep practicing with kindness, honesty, patience, and persistence as best as I can today is all that is asked of me. |
Skip Hughes
Director of Fundraising
“If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it, then you are ready to take certain steps.”
- Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 58 My journey into sobriety began in 2015. Toward the end of my 30-day stay in rehab, I was faced with a choice: go back into the tense, fragile home environment that my active addiction had wreaked havoc in over the years, or transition into a recovery home and let my wife and kids regain trust in me. Maybe for the first time in my life, and at the insistence of my family, I decided to follow the Good Orderly Direction GOD) that had been offered. To my surprise, I began to thrive in my sober journey, rather than flounder and relapse. I was told early on to "surround myself with the winners" - meaning other men who were serious about their recovery. Living in the sober home while attending meetings regularly afforded me that opportunity. Although they might be designed to help the addict, they also offer some much needed relief to the immediate family as well. I attribute a great deal of my success to the four months spent living in that sober house. It helped me understand that sobriety has to be my number one priority and if I practice the steps, every aspect of my life will improve over time. Keeping the quality of my life today depends on maintaining long-term sobriety and guiding others toward a life of usefulness, joy and peace. |
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Lighthouse Residences
501(c)(3) EIN 83-3666907 Although Lighthouse Residences is allied with service providers, institutions and other like-minded enterprises, as an organization it is not affiliated with any outside group or industry and does not have public opinions on outside issues. The opinions and personal affiliations of it's board members and employees are strictly their own. |
Contact Us
*Can I afford to live at a Lighthouse Residence?
*Wondering if Lighthouse Residences is right for you or your loved one? *Do we have a waitlist? *How can I make a donation? Send us a message and one of our team members will reach out to you within 48 hours. Comments are welcome! |