Men’s addiction treatment house opens in New Phila

New help and hope for men battling addiction is now available at Built on Stone, a faith-based men’s recovery home in New Philadelphia. The transitional living space is an extension of Beneath the Shade, a sister home for women located in Dover.

When it was opened in 2020, Beneath the Shade was the first recovery home of its kind in the area. The name comes from Psalms 121:5: “The Lord watches over you; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.”

Built on Stone is meant to help men who are already clean and sober and are committed to continuing their recovery, usually people who have completed inpatient rehab prior to moving in.

The house has been undergoing renovations for about a year.

“Right now there are two guys living here,” said Nick Javas, who oversees the house with his wife Nadine. “I wouldn’t say it is fully finished and ready, but we’re working on it, and the men living there are volunteering their work.”

Nick Javas has been in recovery for 16 years. In an online video, he said, “In 2008 I walked into a recovery house in West L.A. I didn’t know that night would completely change the trajectory of my life because that night turned into days. Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. Nine months came around, and I became the manager of that house.”

Since then Nick and Nadine Javas have been running recovery houses all over the United States.

Nick Javas joined the board of Beneath the Shade a few years before he and Nadine were asked to oversee the women’s recovery house. Now they will direct Built on Stone, which is located next door to their home.

“One thing we discovered while directing Beneath the Shade is that the root issue is the breakdown of family units, which breaks down communities,” Nick Javas said. “We feel if a family is broken down, a home is broken.”

Javas talked about the Christ-centered approach at Built on Stone. “People are losing touch with who God made them to be. So we teach a lot of things, but the ultimate goal is to teach people to let God reveal to them who they are. Once they know who they are, that dictates what they do.”

How the house works

The home is set up to accommodate up to three men at a time, each having a separate bedroom. Men can live there for up to 14 months if needed. The first three months are free. After that, they will be asked to find employment and pay rent on a sliding scale.

“We want them to be able to get in here without a financial barrier and also to have a little bit of time to find their spot in the community before having to get a job and pay rent,” Nick Javas said. “As far as jobs go, it’s not so much a focus on making ends meet, but more on where they are called to be and what they are called to do. What we’ll be doing is empowering these guys to find meaningful, sustainable work.”

Help is always needed

Financial support is always welcome and will help pay for the first three months of allowing men to live at Built on Stone.

“Whether it’s $5, $50 or $500, if it’s monthly or it’s ongoing, I cannot tell you how impactful that really is for an organization like this,” Nick Javas said.

Additionally, there is a real need for people who can volunteer time.

“People who are skilled in construction in any kind of way and who can teach the guys here how to fix things are needed,” Nick Javas said.

Beneath the Shade and Built on Stone also offer merchandise for sale. Visit www.beneaththeshade.org or find Beneath the Shade on Facebook.