Oxnard's Freedom House marks 15 years helping men through recovery

For 15 years Freedom House has lived up to its name.

The large Victorian home at 460 South F. St. in Oxnard has served as refuge for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts.

Director Jeff Simpson was a former client at the home when it was a state-licensed rehabilitation facility under the name Primary Purpose, which declared bankruptcy in 1995. The location has served its residents for nearly 35 year.

Now a sober living home, Freedom House has provided a haven for hundreds of men eager to free themselves from alcohol and drug dependency.

There were people who didnt think this would last, Simpson said.

Simpson started the program in 1998, believing the strength God gave him to recover from his own addiction would help him help others.

It wasnt easy at the beginning, said Simpson, who was in the restaurant business for more than 20 years but has no formal business education.

Simpson worked hard to get recognition from jail officials, probation officers, mental health workers and others.

The facility can accommodate 21 men in the main house and seven more in a house on the back of the property, set aside for graduates who have been with the program for more than six months.

Most of the men are on parole for alcohol- and drug-related offenses and need help with the fundamentals of living, Simpson said. Residents must complete a 60 to 90 day program but some have stayed for three years.

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Oxnard's Freedom House marks 15 years helping men through recovery