A year after opening, sober living facility finds support from Northbrook community

Providence Farm in Northbrook opened its doors about one year ago after a somewhat contentious approval process. Residents showed up to meetings to express concerns about the sober living home opening in a residential neighborhood. After the facility at at 1620 Sunset Ridge Road eventually won approval, community members began reaching out to offer help with everything from decorating rooms to providing steady employment to residents.

The young men who live at Providence Farm say the ever-present support system, which includes community members, fellow residents and the facility’s staff, plays a key role in making their time in Northbrook personally impactful. The men living in the Northbrook house all have a job or internship, or a combination of both, and most have enrolled in college courses. They volunteer Tuesday mornings and cook dinner together Tuesday nights. They also attend individual and group therapy and participate in in-house Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

Stephanie Zwilling, a licensed clinical therapist, said she founded Providence Farm because she saw a need in the North Shore for a program that helps men transition back home after completing therapeutic programming to treat addiction. Many of those programs are located out of state.

Read the full article originally posted on the Chicago Tribune