*This year, Chad took several men to a conference at Sky Ranch.*

Haven Homes has been in the Texarkana community since 2013. It is a Christian, nonprofit agency providing safe and transitional housing to women graduating from the Bowie County Women’s Recovery Center. Jeni Eldridge is the Executive Director of Haven Homes, whose mission is to bring restoration to broken people through grace-based discipleship. A new facet to Haven Homes began less than a year ago and under the leadership and helm of Texarkana native Chad Coleman. Jenni recruited Chad to get involved with the center’s mission, and now Haven Homes serves both men and women who are struggling with life issues such as drug abuse and alcoholism. Throughout the various services they provide such as safe housing, work and service programs, counseling, education, and spiritual guidance, these individuals may not only survive but thrive. They aim to reach those struggling through God’s grace and be blessed with love, hope, and healing. The Bible verse Haven Homes encompasses is from Isaiah 32:7: “You are my hiding place, you will protect me from trouble, and surround me with songs of deliverance.”

Haven Homes is located on 7th Street adjacent to House of Refuge Church, formerly Rose Hill Baptist. They purchased the building in September of 2019 from the church and have been busy renovating the space to meet their needs for the men’s program. There are still local houses around the community which serve the women in the program. However, the men’s faculty is completely confined in this space which has living quarters, bathrooms, a dining area, gym space, library, and other various meeting/conference and office space. Generosity from various donations have outfitted the center with kitchen and workout equipment, books, counseling materials, and non-perishable food and other items. Two Eagle Scout projects have been completed at the center which has further assisted the residents and the program. Various counselors and civic volunteers come in nightly for programs and a strict schedule is followed by all residents. A sample day constitutes rising early for chores and Bible study. The residents then go to various work programs across the city for approximately eight hours. Dinner is served, and various programs are available each evening. They have had a variety of events which range from Alcoholics Anonymous and Celebrate Recovery meetings to Christian music concerts.

The Center works diligently with local businesses, other nonprofit agencies, churches, as well as the local courts and probation entities to assist the men in the program. With crime, homelessness, and unemployment at a consistent high in the area, Haven Homes helps provide an answer for those suffering from addiction. The goal is to help them become productive and spiritually healthy, able to contribute to society. A unique aspect of the program is that the men themselves are the main volunteers/workers and assist in a variety of jobs from maintenance, cooking, cleaning, and direction of events. Chad serves as the Center’s Operations Manager and says, “The goal is being able to build their self-esteem through service to others in need. We do this daily in some capacity. Not all of our men are job assigned but the men who aren’t at work are on call to help the ministry and the community.”

*Chad, Rebecca and Amy at Jackson Square in the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana, during a family trip.*

The Haven Homes Men’s Recovery Center’s main mission is to build disciples, teach job skills, and be of service to the community. There are currently 24 residents in the program full-time, with room to expand to 52 beds in the facility. The program is a year-long, residential one which houses, feeds, educates, and mentors to men fighting addiction. There is absolutely no charge or fee, and the men are also provided work opportunities. Also, being a nonprofit organization, they are not recipients of any state or federal funding. Transportation is provided to and from work, church, and other obligations thanks to the donation of three vans. Chad emphasizes how focusing on long-term success is the ultimate goal for each man in the program: “We try to place our men in positions (jobs) that can sustain them when they graduate the program ... a job with a good income, that could have benefits. We want them to find a church home, one they are comfortable with and can continue to support. We have some type of volunteer effort every weekend that everyone participates in.”

Chad’s connection to the Men’s Center hits very close to home and one which he considers to be a driving force. Having been sober for nine years, Chad sees the opportunity to serve others in this capacity as a way to get back many years that he lost. He graduated from Pleasant Grove High School and grew up attending First Baptist Church Texarkana. His parents were active in church, as they taught the college Sunday School class, and his dad served as a deacon. His dad went on to be ordained and was the pastor at Victory City Baptist Church in Leary. Chad recalls growing up going to church and playing sports. As a young teenager what started out as having fun with friends turned more serious. At age 16, he started getting citations for being a minor in possession of alcohol: “I just wanted to party. I didn’t really have a relationship with God. When I was 18, I started smoking pot and got my first DWI. Over the years that followed I collected a lot of DWIs. All my activities usually revolved around alcohol being present.” That started a long road with law enforcement and mandatory supervision. A possession charge placed Chad in the Texas Substance Abuse Felony Punishment Facility (SAFPF) program for a year.

*Chad and daughter, Rebecca, with Charlotte Shelton, GiGi Erie and Jon Erie during the Pleasant Grove Hawks playoff game last year.*

After his release, he received another DWI that violated his Bowie County probation and was sentenced to two years in state prison. During this time his mother passed away, and he had to miss attending her funeral. Later on, another DWI resulted in his receiving the maximum allowable sentence of 10 years for a third offense DWI. Chad says, “It certainly wasn’t my third, just the third I was convicted of. I deserved it. I did 18 months and was released on parole. After some personal trust and money issues, I started drinking again. A year later, I walked out of a convenience store and a police officer was parked behind me. He asked me to get my ID then informed me that he was sending me back to prison for DWI.” This time Chad was sentenced to 15 years, of which he served four and a half years before being released on parole.

After many ups and downs and lost time, Chad recalls that this was finally the last time. “I went through a program pre-release and decided to stop wasting my life. I started attending church and going to Celebrate Recovery. I coached soccer and volunteered with the Christian Warriors. I took some steps toward God, and He took bigger ones toward me. It took me completely failing before I would let go.” Chad then realized he was meant to use the new chance God gave him to help others. The Men’s Recovery Center came about from many gathering together to see it happen, one he is so proud to be a part of. “We are seeing amazing things happen. I’m so far from perfect but that’s okay, I am where I am supposed to be. I stay on the path and keep moving forward. If you have the ability to help someone, use it.”

Chad has been married to his wife, Amy, since 2007. They met as middle schoolers and dated off and on for years as she was a graduate of Texas High School. Amy works for her family business, Holiday Cleaners. She graduated from Baylor and has a master’s degree in Accounting from Texas A&M University-Texarkana. Their daughter’s name is Rebecca. She is 12 years old and a student at Texas Middle School. She plays on a travel soccer team and also enjoys tennis. Chad and Amy have two nieces who live with them: Julie Sherman is a sophomore at Arkansas and her sister, Noelle, is a junior at Pleasant Grove High School. As a family, they enjoy traveling and attend Church on the Rock. In his spare time, Chad enjoys working out at the gym.

*Laura Ponder, Lorrie Harper, Jeni Eldridge, Chad Coleman and Robert Sanderson display their Haven Homes T-shirts that Commercial National Bank provided to them.*

There are positive and big plans for Haven Homes in the months ahead. Besides continuing to expand their Men’s Center, they are planning to open a resale shop in conjunction with a bakery and coffee shop in the former Bryce’s Cafeteria building. Chad continues, “We hope to make it a destination that will continue the high standards the Lawrence family set in Texarkana. Bryce’s is part of our history, and we want to honor that as well as be able to serve Texarkana and benefit our ministry.” Relying solely on donations and a generous community, the shop will have various clothes, furniture, and housewares for sale in addition to cherished Bryce’s treats. As a Christian ministry focusing on recovery and success, donations of any kind, along with volunteers are necessary. “We will have employees that will run the operations on-site. We can’t wait to turn out some Bryce’s peach pies. We want to be an asset. Anyone that wants to help, we would love to have. We want this to be for our town and would love for our town to participate.”

This testimony of Chad’s rings true with Haven Homes’ mission of joy, hope, and faith: “Be thankful, be blessed and be of service.” Chad says, “There had to be a reason that He kept me alive and I trusted that. The guilt of wasting nine years in jail and 27 spent drinking still haunted me. I prayed and prayed, and one day God put it all together. My testimony and failures today are being used to help others who are struggling. All those things that I picked up along the way are now all coming into play. He had a plan all along.”

*Chad admits that it took completely failing before he would make a positive change in his life.*

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