Pinned to the wall just behind Maria Jones’ desk is what she and Chad Eskew say is the future of Denton Freedom House. To the untrained eye, it looks like nothing more than an oversized piece of paper with a dozen or so hand-drawn circles and a few key notes taking up most of the space. However, the large, detailed blueprint clearly outlines their ambitious vision.
Jones, the organization’s strategic development manager, points to every circle and highlights sections as if she’s trying to speak the entire blueprint into existence. As she steps back to take it all in, she admits most of it might seem impossible.
In the same breath, there’s also a hint of excitement and determination in her voice.
“It may not look exactly like that when it’s done, but by the grace of God, it might,” she said while pointing again to a sprawling multi-purpose area, expanded housing facilities for residents and staff, ponds, landscaping, garden areas, recreation facilities, and a water treatment plant. “We’ve got 17 acres, and we’re constantly looking at ways to use more of it.”
Eskew agrees as he scans the blueprint with reflective excitement.
“We’re praying for even more land,” he said. He’s been the growth and development director for eight years. “There is opportunity.”
In the meantime, no one can argue that Denton Freedom House is making the most of what God has already provided. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization is celebrating its 20th anniversary as a faith-based, Christ-centered solution for men and women to overcome addiction. What started in the home of Jeremy and Karen Adams in 2004 is now a full-fledged residential program and ministry governed by a board of directors and a team of officers. They offer a multi-phase men’s campus in Aubrey, a multi-phase women’s home in Denton, Zera Coffee and Events center, and the second-largest food pantry in Denton County.
Despite current capacity limits at its residential sites, Denton Freedom House provides no-cost services to over 100 men and women and their families each year. It boasts a growing staff — many live on-site — and over 100 volunteers. Their average graduation rate has been 40% over the past five years alone, above the national average for many traditional rehabilitation centers.
But setting people free from addiction is only a portion of their work. Eskew said their mission is to ensure everyone is loved and experiences the transforming power of God’s word.
“Forty percent graduate from the program, but my favorite statistic is that 100% hear the gospel,” Eskew said. “To believers, that means everything. We see miracles happen daily and want more people to know we are here.”
Drug addiction and homelessness are increasing at unprecedented rates, and Denton County is not immune. Denton Freedom House has introduced 39 men to its six-month Phase 1 program this year alone, and nearly 90% of them suffered from alcohol and drug addiction. Fifteen were homeless. They’ve admitted 75 women since opening the women’s home four years ago.
With its Phase 1 residential program, residents receive immediate food, clothing, and shelter at no cost as they get clean. The facility is outfitted with a full commercial kitchen, dorm rooms, a loaded laundry room with clothing essentials, and an intentional Christ-centered classroom curriculum that teaches them what a new life in Christ looks like. Residents pour into each other just as much as the staff does for them. They also learn the value of hard work and responsibility as they take on various duties throughout the campus.
Phase 2 is another six-month program highly recommended for men and women finally on the right path to establishing themselves as productive members of society. This includes learning to budget, save money, secure a job, and take on other responsibilities.
Phase 3 is for residents who complete the first two phases but still wish to receive guidance as they move forward with their new lives.
Phase 1 men’s director Glenn Johnson has experienced the healing power of Denton Freedom House first-hand.
“I was addicted to drugs. I was also stealing and routinely digging through garbage for clothes and food,” he said. He joined Denton Freedom House five years ago and became a director two years ago. “One day, I found myself nine or 10 miles outside town on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. I was starving and scared, and I began praying for God to help me. At that moment, I stumbled upon a Burger King bag, and inside it were 40 packets of ketchup. I thought it was a coincidence at the time, but I ate the ketchup, which got me back to town safely. I found Denton Freedom House, and I’ve been here ever since.”
Eskew agreed. He, too, has been through the program and is now giving himself to the mission.
“We love when we can take a man or woman off the street and provide them with everything they need,” he said. “Many of these people have been written off by family and friends, but their lives can be changed for the better. We have a full chapel; we host night classes and worship classes, and we even have mentors come in from the outside to pour into our residents. All of us have a heart for ministry. If you work here and spend time here, it means you really have a calling.”
There is so much more to what Denton Freedom House does every day, and leaders like Jones and Eskew pray that it’s merely the tip of the iceberg for what is to come in the very near future. That’s their vision — and God always finds a way to provide.
To experience the Denton Freedom House ministry first-hand, learn more about plans for the future, take a tour, and uncover specific ways to donate or get involved with their annual golf tournament, concerts, monthly luncheons, food pantry, and other events, visit www.dentonfreedomhouse.org.
.png)
.jpg)
