After months of planning and preparation, a Burien church has recently opened a “sober” house aimed at addressing a critical need for transitional housing for women in our area. Imagine a woman who is leaving a life of addiction. Maybe leaving the lifestyle of being an addict and prostitute. Imagine a woman being released into society after being in prison for several years. It could be one who is leaving an abusive relationship, or a young female leaving home and starting her first ‘real job,’ but with no rental history, or an older woman on a fixed income whose next option is being on the street. Now imagine, what do these women need? They need a place to stay, a home; one which is safe, and affordable. A home where they can get a fresh start in life and perhaps, a place where they can address issues that may have got them to the place where they are at now. A place where they not only get help, but their lives are transformed. All the women mentioned would have a hard time finding a landlord to rent to them and even if they did, it would be almost impossible for them to pay the current rental costs in the area. Even if they were able to rent a room or apartment, it would be without structure or accountability, which likely they would need, in order to graduate into a stable independent life. What they would really need is a special home. Pastor Richard Dover of Seattle Open Door Church in Burien, along with a group of committed volunteers, recognized this need in the community and decided to DO something to fill this need. Flight Path is a sober house dedicated to serving the needs of women seeking to transform their lives and who are willing to do the work it takes to do just that.  Flight Path exists to provide a structured, affordable living environment that includes a program which helps these women not only get back on their feet, but helps them to change for the better. Flight Path is managed by Fairhaven House, a faith-based sober housing & discipleship outreach program of Seattle Open Door Church in Burien. The Flight Path house is located in Seatac, just a few blocks from the Tukwila Light Rail Station. The tidy mid-century home has two single occupancy rooms and two double occupancy rooms, so it can house up to six women. There is a live-in manager who lives in the daylight basement of the house. The rooms appear clean and less than spartan in their decor.  Even if you would not call them fancy, they certainly seem homey. Executive Director Richard Dover shares their philosophy this way:

“Fairhaven House believes that for true transformation to take place in a person’s life there must a whole-person approach in regard to helping individuals overcoming dysfunctional ways of living. Because of this, we place a strong emphasis on individuals growing in spirituality. Most members of the Fairhaven House program are Christians, but they may simply be individuals who are open to spirituality. Fairhaven House not only provides housing but teaches its clients how to grow in their relationship with God and to become productive citizens in society. For our older clients that are on a fixed income, we provide them a safe place to live until they can obtain private housing.”
Fairhaven House relies on the help of volunteers who can help women access social services, provide transportation to appointments, teach life skills, do Bible studies on recovery, or just be a friend to the women at Flight Path.
If you are interested in taking action against homelessness in a tangible way or would simply like to learn more about this program, please visit www.fairhavenhouse.info, or contact Executive Director, Richard Dover at 206-396-1995
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