Serenity Inns, an alcohol and drug treatment center in Milwaukee's Walnut Hill neighborhood has announced plans to expand its existing residential treatment services, with a new 14-bed facility.
The $2.4 million facility is slated to be constructed on two former city-owned lots located across the street from Serenity Inns current location at 2825 West Brown St. and will serve men, in line with its current operations. The properties are located at 2816 and 2830 West Brown Street.
The sale of the parcels was approved this week by the city’s Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee. Serenity Inns plans to break ground on the two-story facility this fall with hopes to have it up in operation by late summer of next year.
The need for expanded services is especially critical, explained Kenneth Ginlack, CEO of Serenity Inns, given the alarming rise in overdose deaths.
While the fentanyl epidemic has affected both men and women, it has had a much greater impact on Wisconsin’s male population, Ginlack noted.
The nonprofit’s current facility has 12 beds and will remain in operation after the new facility is constructed, giving Serenity Inns 26 treatment beds. The nonprofit also has a sober living apartment house. Called the “alumni house” the apartment building can serve 16 men who have previously completed the nonprofit’s treatment program.
The project is being financed by the Illinois Facilities Fund (IFF), a community development financial institution experienced in helping nonprofits to fund capital projects.
"IFF exists to provide community-based organizations like Serenity Inns with the support they need to strengthen their communities, and we’re thrilled to help finance the construction of the organization’s new residential treatment facility,” said Darian Luckett, IFF’s director of lending for Wisconsin and Iowa, in a press release. “With its new facility, Serenity Inns will be able to expand access to services for individuals struggling with substance use and provide crucial education about drug prevention and the early signs of addiction. At a time when overdose deaths are surging around the country, this is a project that will help Milwaukee better respond to the crisis is a meaningful way.”
Serenity Inns also plans to launch a capital campaign to engage the community in the project.
A collaborative effort initiated by a group of Lutheran churches in the Milwaukee area, Serenity Inns launched in 2004 to address a pressing need for residential AODA treatment for men. Over the years, the nonprofit has successfully treated over 650 men through its holistic residential program, addressing participants' physical, social, emotional, financial, and spiritual health needs, empowering them to recover and become productive members of society.
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An elevation drawing gives a glimpse of the design for Serenity Inn's new facility slated to be constructed across the street from its current location. (Drawing courtesy of Serenity Inns)[/caption]
