The Will County Board voted 17-2 in favor of the Second Story Foundation opening a rural retreat on a 68-acre horse farm in Crete Township to help men who are recovering from alcohol or drug abuse.
The nonprofit foundation is raising money to open Second Story Ranch at 2400 Bemes Road that would include about a 7,000-square-foot lodge with 15 beds to house men while they continue their recovery journey. There will be community space for meals and educational seminars.
The program will serve up to 14 men. The foundation intends to keep one single bedroom unoccupied to offer a short-term refuge for anyone who may come to them in crisis, documents indicated.
There is no set departure date unlike most recovery programs, but many men are anticipated to stay at the facility and work the farm for anywhere from six to 18 months, attorney Nathaniel Washburn said. The longest a person stayed at a similar recovery facility was 20 months, he said.
“Everybody’s recovery journey is different,” he said.
The men approved for the program will be carefully vetted and fully invested in their recovery process, Washburn said.
While they are on the farm, they work, build discipline and grow within a supportive community that holds them accountable, according to the foundation’s documents, which noted that addiction can leave behind lost jobs, broken families and profound isolation.
Their mission attracted several County Board members.
Board member Julie Berkowicz, a Naperville Republican, said many families have members who struggle with mental health illness or addiction. When the project came forward, she said she was moved.
“This program is incredible,” she said as the matter was considered Thursday. “…This is something that is changing lives.”
In addition to helping individuals turn their lives around, the program protects and preserves agricultural land, an added benefit, Berkowicz said.
Board member Judy Ogalla, a Monee Republican, said a retreat allows someone to withdraw from normal activities to a quiet and safe place for reflection, meditation or relaxation.
“This offers them a retreat for a period of time to get themselves back on their own two feet before coming back to society, which is very difficult to do,” Ogalla said.
The Second Story Foundation said while 28-day inpatient programs are often seen as the most intensive option in substance use disorder treatment, they are rarely sufficient on their own to ensure lasting recovery. After people leave a program, they may not be fully prepared to navigate the triggers, stressors and lifestyle changes necessary for sustained recovery, the foundation said.
Executive director Jim O’Connor asked, “What happens on day 29?”
The ranch will provide its members free, supportive recovery housing and job-readiness training through its Ranch Hands jobs program. It will also provide financial literacy education and help the men address outstanding legal issues, restore their driver’s licenses and obtain vehicles for reliable transportation.
The foundation also helps the men address underlying health issues that may have been caused by their addiction, O’Connor said. When men get restorative dental work, for instance, their confidence improves, he said.
There are two phases to the program, as the men first work on their recovery routines and then work to transition back into society, O’Connor said. The men are at the retreat voluntarily and have completed a 28-day program. They have also undergone a background check.
“Will County has a vision to help do something really unique and transformational,” O’Connor said.
O’Connor, who was in Washington, D.C., on Thursday to meet with the Health and Human Services Department on the project, said he is hoping to open in late 2026.
“Funding drives the timeline,” he said.
He thanked County Board members and staff for the bipartisan support.
“Our project is about building communities of care to help people and families suffering from addiction and alcoholism, but also poverty, isolation and despair,” O’Connor said. “To have so many people come together to support this project is heartening, joyful and deepens our commitment to work tirelessly to embrace suffering with love.”
Board members Dan Butler, a Frankfort Republican, and Sherry Newquist, a Steger Democrat, objected to the proposal.
Butler cited Crete Township’s concerns over the plan.
In an objection filed with the county last month, Crete Township said it had concerns on the location of the ranch near residential communities with children and no significant gating or fencing surrounding it. In the objection, Crete Township Supervisor Michael Liccar also said that the township did not believe a group home for men recovering from substance abuse was compatible with agritourism zoning.
Newquist said the zoning was her main concern though she believed it would be an excellent program.
The ranch will be funded by private donations, fundraisers and local and federal grants.
Donations are accepted at www.2ndstoryfoundation.org, O’Connor said.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.