NEWPORT — Alot goes on in a white house on Malcolm Avenue in Newport. Since October 2006, women between 18 and 60 have found a new start on their lives at Esther House.
Kellie Newton isn’t the stereotypical drug addict. The 31-year-old college graduate was arrested for shoplifting after huffing air duster, and an airduster-induced heart attack killed her 38-year-old fiancé in September.
The judge sentenced Newton to 270 days in jail and gave her the option of serving the remainder of her time at Esther House in Newport.
Esther House is a home for women who need help overcoming a challenge, such as drug use. The house accommodates 27 residents and staff and falls under the oversight of Project New Start, one of many service projects at New Life Church, a full-gospel church in Newport.
“It’s hard to adjust to living with 20 women,” Newton said. “It’s hard for me to see 23- and 24-year-olds with kids going through the program. I look up to a lot of the girls who have been in the program longer than I have.”
The house supervisor, Joyce Nordin, helps the women settle into their new structured environment. Having gone down the same road as many of the women, Nordin knows the process of recovery and reconnecting.
Two years ago, Nordin came to Esther House after spending 17 months in prison. Admitting that she came with an attitude, Nordin said now she doesn’t want to leave. As house supervisor, she takes a personal approach to helping the women who come through Esther House.
The women begin and end each day with lifeskill classes led by volunteers from surrounding communities.
“Some women are here because DHS (Department of Human Services) has stepped in, some are court-ordered, and some come in voluntarily,” Nordin said. “It’s really hard to let the drugs go, even if they’re pregnant.”
Esther House is a safe place for women who need a little help getting their lives back on track.
A few women who come to the home are pregnant and are looking for a way to keep their babies.
The upstairs portion of the house is called Debra House and is geared especially toward pregnant women.
“We take a pro-life approach and a faith-based approach to recovery,” said Tim Bumpous, founding pastor of New Life Church.
The Ten Commandments are painted on the outside front of the house; they depict the values the residents are expected to adopt into their lives.
Nordin said most of the women who come to Esther House have drug or drinking problems. Many have a problem with prescription drugs or depression or are homeless. The program lasts six months to a year. Since there is no government funding for the program, residents are asked to donate a fee of $500 when they arrive.
“We also get love offerings from people who donate to the church,” Nordin said.
Newton’s goal is to get air duster out of reach for those who are vulnerable to drug use.
“It’s easy,” Newton said about obtaining air duster. “You can go to the store and just buy it. You don’t have to call anyone or go to the bad part of town.
“I’d like to get it where it is behind the counter.”
Bumpous, who also served time in prison, started New Life Church. Someone gave him a house that was named Joshua House, and it has transformed into three rehabilitation homes for men, along with Esther House. New Life also has a new children’s home in Oil Trough for children who have been taken into DHS custody.
Three Rivers, Pages 49 on 12/24/2009