Our History
In February 1985, Lois Hamblin from Serenity Hall approached a couple of ladies from the AA community with an idea of becoming involved in starting a three-quarter house for recovering women. Adrianne Handel and Susan Berry were two of these women, they attended a special meeting at the Matt Talbot Inn, a men's halfway house founded in 1965 by Father Berard Scarborough. At that time Janet Leff was the President of the Matt Talbot Board - and she recognized the need for housing for recovering women alcoholics.
The Franciscan Order had purchased property on West 10th Street with a front and back house, just up the street from the Matt Talbot Inn in the Tremont area of Cleveland. The back house was in livable condition, but the front house was a mess! Recovering women from our meetings were asked if they could help us start work and we began cleaning, painting and removing mice and rat remains from "our properties".
We proceeded to beg and plead our case to anyone who would listen, small donations began to come in, many from individuals who helped pay the bills along with assistance from Matt Talbot. The Board had to be formed, and we set up house rules and contracts, then welcomed our first resident in the back house. This was July of 1985. The woman lived there alone for a time because people did not yet know about Scarborough Hall (as it was first known.)
During that first year, the Board and about 10 or 15 volunteers from both the east and west side AA meetings cleaned, painted and repaired the front house. We also visited EAPs, treatment centers, union halls and community agencies to tell them about our new three-quarter facility. We asked them for support in whatever form they could give - a woman who needed a place to live and work and stay sober for a year, or a couch, or a stove or pots and pans - we needed everything!
From the beginning we've had volunteers who come to the house two and three times a week, to check on things, interview new residents, and run weekly AA meetings. Requirements for residents include staying sober, having or getting a job, getting off welfare, and paying a nominal amount of rent each month. Residents can stay up to one year.
In 1987, the Junior League of Cleveland accepted Scarborough as one of their many projects, and donated $10,000 for house renovations. One of our East Side volunteers helped us with this connection and two of the Junior League members served on the Scarborough Board for many years.. In 1988 they funded our first House Manager position with a donation of $7,800. We could not have survived those first few years without the help of the Junior League, we will be forever grateful.
In 1990, we hired Annette Costello as our Executive Director, and made the decision to go on our
own. To no longer associate our name with that of Matt Talbot. It was a tough decision because many women's houses had failed over the years, after all our prayers and hard work we did not want to become a statistic. The Board wrote by-laws, and we became incorporated. The divine inspiration
that had kept the house open and helping women for five years now continued to help us.
One of our more notable volunteers and constant inspirations was Jeanne Koehler. Jeanne was a nurse from Rosary Hall and one of the original volunteers. She was also dying of cancer, fighting her battle while she painted and cleaned Scarborough Hall. She was very sick but her spirit was strong, she never gave up, she knew the need for a place like ours. Jeanne died in 1988, we like to think we have had Jeanne’s spirit to help us ever since. Many times when funds were short and needs were many, help just seemed to appear; money, or a new washing machine or maybe sometimes just the strength to ask a resident to leave for not following house rules.
We don't believe in coincidences - only in miracles.
As each year has gone by, we have commented that Scarborough House (as it is now called) must be divinely inspired. Today we know that is true, as we celebrate our tenth anniversary - or in reality our fifteenth year - of helping recovering women alcoholics and addicts learn to live rewarding lives once again.