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In this interview Noozhawk spoke with Adam Burridge, Executive Director at Santa Barbara New House, to learn more about the men’s sober living home.
Santa Barbara New House
Question: What is the name of your nonprofit, and what is its mission?
Answer: Santa Barbara New House. New House dedicates itself to providing a clean, sober and healthy environment that allows men with alcohol and other drug problems to begin their journey of recovery and to reclaim their dignity, self-esteem, and sense of purpose.
Q: How long has your organization been serving the community, and who founded it?
A: Next year will be 70 years.
In May of 1955, under the direction of Elmo Little – an electrician from Knoxville, Tennessee – the first New House was opened. The original supporters were pledged to keep New House self-supporting and free from government tangles and restrictions. Elmo had told one of the many men he sponsored, William D., that what many alcoholics need in Santa Barbara was “a new house on a new street in a new city for a newfound recovery.”
Q: How is your nonprofit primarily funded, and what are its biggest needs right now?
A: Santa Barbara New House, Inc. is a California 501(c) 3 Non-Profit Corporation. New House does not accept funds from government sources and is entirely funded by revenue from its clients, private donations, foundation grants, and grateful former clients. All donations are tax-deductible under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. Our Federal I.D. Number: 95-2887119 EIN.
Our most significant need is donations for scholarship funding.
Q: How do you allocate your funding to support your mission?
A: We rely on client fees and grants from foundations for our day-to-day operations. We are the only men’s sober living home in the Tri-County that provides scholarships. In 2023, New House served 324 men (93% of whom were low-income)—the highest number served annually in the last five years—and provided 66 men with $110,066 in scholarships. In 2024, we aim to serve at least 250 men and provide at least $115,000 in scholarships.
Q: What types of events or programs do you run to engage your community and raise funds?
A: The Heart of New House is our annual luncheon. This fundraiser helps provide scholarships to low-income men who cannot afford their initial client fees. In 2023, we provided $110,000 in scholarships. New House is not just a sober living facility; it’s a beacon of hope in our community. We provide a clean, sober, healthy environment, a mission that requires extraordinary effort under current conditions. Our goal is to support the men who come to New House in finding sobriety and help Santa Barbara find safety in their absence from the problem. Your support is crucial in helping us continue this vital work.
We will have our first-ever Sober Comedy Show at New House III on November 15th at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available on our website. These will be professional sober comedians, and all proceeds will go directly to the Scholarship fund to assist men who cannot pay their initial client fees.
Q: How is your team structured? Have there been any major changes in your operations since you started?
A: The experience of Santa Barbara New House is that successful sobriety is achieved through the support of others in the common goal of recovery. New House is, therefore, staffed entirely by clients. Clients can start by volunteering their time or being of service to the house. Clients can work in the kitchen with the cooks and move up the chain to work behind the front desk. Through volunteer positions, New House can show clients who weren’t employable they can be responsible, reliable, and trustworthy employees.
Q: What sets your nonprofit apart from similar organizations?
A: While all clients are required to pay client fees, being unable to pay in advance is not a barrier to admission. Scholarships are available, and serious individuals needing some help to get started may be granted a scholarship for short periods while they find work or a source of income.
Q: Can you share a fun fact or little-known detail about your nonprofit that would surprise people?
A: Santa Barbara New House offers a Grad House. Men who achieve six months of successful sobriety are eligible to apply for admission to the Grad House, which offers increased independence, autonomy, and self-sufficiency in preparation for returning to their home or new living space.
Q: Could you share a story or two about individuals whose lives have been positively impacted by your organization?
A: “For ten years I was addicted, afraid, alone, and experiencing unbearable pain in my body, mind, and soul. I was dying physically and spiritually in every way. Today I live a purpose-driven life, an exponentially full life, due to the family I have found in recovery, the community that served as examples, my sponsors, my gurus, those who walked me through my complete insanity, and those who walked the path before me. My purpose in life is to “put more good into the world than I took from it.”
On my sober birthday, I resigned as General Manager of New House II and moved into family housing at UCSB with my fiancé. I never could have made it without the men of New House and will forever be grateful for the compassion that was shown to me. I have big plans for what’s next. I am going to continue working as an addiction counselor, marry the love of my life, graduate UCSB, and get a master’s degree in psychology, with the goal of opening treatment centers so that I can help as many suffering addicts and alcoholics as possible. ‘I can’t—we can. Together, we do recover.’ Thank you for my life.”
Grateful Client.
Testimonial by Anonymous:
My journey to sobriety came late in my life. I was in my late sixties when my alcoholism became unmanageable. I was in the position of authority of a small business, and I made the decisions that held the lives of the employees subject to my alcoholism. I hurt and embarrassed the most important people in my life due to my alcoholism, and for this I will never be able to remove these thoughts from my memory.
My doctor was my Eskimo: she told me if I did not get help and I did not stop drinking I would be dead within a brief period. I went to recovery at Cottage Rehabilitation Clinic (CRC) to begin the recovery from alcoholism. This was my first attempt to deal with alcoholism. I was one of the oldest participants in the recovery class.
Giving up my will, which was primarily my job description, was not easy. But seeing the other members of the group so young and with such futures ahead of them, I thought I needed to make this work. After I completed thirty-plus days of recovery at CRC, it was suggested I go to sober living to continue my education on my alcoholism. I visited a number of sober living facilities in Santa Barbara. I was fortunate enough to be accepted at New House II.
I went directly from CRC to New House II, where a new journey in sobriety began. My time at New House II was enlightening, challenging, and eventful. The ability to be a sober individual with compassion, camaraderie, and sobriety with a large number of other recovering alcoholics was thought-provoking. I attended meetings with the intent of being sober, emotionally sober, spiritually sober, and to become part of the sober community.
I integrated into my new life at New House II because I was all in to be a sober member of society. I developed a newfound reality at New House II that I carry with me to this day. The men in charge at New House II were former alcoholics. A twelve step program and the responsibilities of a one-for-all and all-for-one made sense. The men all had chores and worked together for the betterment of the house and the residents.
My time at New House II taught me that no matter what station in life you have achieved, we are all the same people deep down. I was fortunate to learn this and at an extremely late stage in my life, but I will not forget what I learned at New House II. I carry those lessons to this day and hope to never forget what I learned and enjoyed during my time at New House II. I’m still sober and have not relapsed, I believe due to my time at New House II. My family life has been returned, but not without a lot of hard work and constant living amends on a daily basis.
Q: How do you share your nonprofit’s impact and updates with the public?
A: Word of mouth, we are on Facebook as Santa Barbara New House. Instagram @santabarbaranewhouse. We also utilize local publications.
Click here to learn more about Santa Barbara New House’s mission to provide a clean, sober and healthy environment that allows men with alcohol and other drug problems to begin their journey of recovery and to reclaim their dignity, self-esteem, and sense of purpose.
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