Finding their way home

For 20 years, Mitchell Davis was addicted to methamphetamine.

It nearly destroyed his life.

“I lost everything more than once,” he said.

But Davis didn’t give up.

He’s been free of substance abuse for more than seven months and, in late October, came to live at The Way Home CDA, a Christian, faith-based recovery program with two houses in Coeur d’Alene for men. 

He loves it, is feeling “awesome, never better,” and says being around others who understand what he went through has made all the difference in the world.

“It keeps my head straight,” he said. 

Davis wants to help others who are battling substance abuse stay the course. He knows it’s easy to slip up and fall back on old habits. But he also knows well the price of falling, not just in possessions, but in family and friends.

“The need for human connection, you lose all that stuff, over and over,” he said. “It’s a powerful thing.”

But freedom from addiction, and a new faith in Christ, “is what sets everything apart,” Davis said. “It makes things new again.”

The chance to give men a new start is what led Dave and Denise Sayers to empty their savings, raid their retirement accounts and take out loans to found The Way Home CDA. 

The Post Falls couple bought a duplex in 2018 and a fourplex in 2021 to use as recovery homes for men. About 25 live in those units today and more than 100 have participated in the program since its inception.

All had drug and alcohol addictions. Most spent time in prison. They had little or nothing when they arrived at The Way Home CDA.

“The clothes on their back, that’s it,” Dave said. “When these guys get off the bus, they’re broke. They don’t have 15 cents.”

But after going through a vetting process, if they are accepted, they’re given a few weeks to settle in. For $600 a month, they get a place to live, a phone, clothes, food and job connections.

“We are adamant they have a job,” Dave said. “It’s important they earn their own keep.”

Rules are many. Zero tolerance for drugs and alcohol. Church attendance is mandatory. Real Life Life Ministries in Coeur d'Alene has been a strong supporter.

The goal for the men is to get back on their feet, live independently, be substance-free and find faith in Jesus Christ.

“Our hope is you will feel the love of people and the love of Jesus and accept him,” Dave said. “That happens a lot.”

Christian symbols are displayed throughout the homes. In one, a lighted cross brightens the front lawn in the front of the house. A small cross is on the wall above a bed. A painting of an eagle and the Bible verse Isaiah 40:31 decorate another wall.

Some who came into the program have remained after the one-year limit to become managers and leaders and help to continue developing the program.

While they are allowed to leave early, Dave discourages it.

“The longer they stay at the house, the better their odds,” he said. “The guys that leave early usually don’t make it. It’s really, really sad.”

While they arrive as strangers, a bond forms over time. Relationships grow.

“The guys are brothers,” Dave said. 

Nearly 50 have been baptized.

“We try to give them the love Jesus would give them,” Dave said.

Dave Sayers

Dave lost and won his own abuse battles.

He was an alcoholic and drug addict in California and in and out of recovery programs for 20 years. He owed money to the IRS and had a stack of unpaid medical bills.

Everyone, he felt, was after him.

“I had absolutely no hope,” Dave said.

He said he overcame his demons when he moved to North Idaho.

“Real Life Ministries led me to God,” he said.

Gradually, he paid his debts, regained his health and found hope in Christ.

But he didn’t rest in his victory.

From experience, he knew there were others fighting similar battles. He had lived the misery of addictions and found a better way: God. So he and his wife stepped out in faith.

“My wife and I felt so drawn from God to do this,” Dave said. “We were so positive God was in this.”

The first house opened with two men, then grew to five. As it filled, the Sayers felt led to buy another home.

“Everything just lined up perfect,” he said. 

A vetting program includes background checks, criminal history and phone interviews. Men with violent histories or sex offenders are not accepted. There are drug tests.

“The message has to be: 'This is a safe house,'” Dave  said. 

Almost surprisingly, in a house of men with troubled pasts, they get along well. There is harmony more than discord. Attitudes, for the most part, remain positive, which is almost miraculous, given the difficult upbringings and rough backgrounds of the men.

“I don’t understand it,” Dave said, laughing. “They’ve never had a fight. The guys don’t even understand it.”

The men of The Way Home CDA

Five years ago, Clayton Tucker’s life fell apart due to addictions. He lost his job, home and wife.

A few years ago, he was introduced to Dave. His life has turned around. He has a good union job and is a house manager with The Way Home CDA. It provides motivation, accountability and stability.

“These guys are my family now,” he said. “They provide that rock that I needed.’

Today, two years clean and sober, he urges people to focus on Jesus Christ "and good things will come.”

He recently was able to see his son for the first time in more than three years.

“Everything's coming together,” he said. 

Another house leader, Shad Campbell, was addicted to methamphetamine for eight years and homeless.

The Way Home CDA “changed everything."

“It showed me a path I didn’t know existed,” the 29-year-old said. “Nothing worked before then. I tried to always do it by myself."

He said he has seen people change for the better — and he understands why.

“Once you’re in a place like this, it’s home,” he said. 

Doug Gordon was a full-time dad when he was introduced to methamphetamine.

“I lost my way,” the 26-year-old said.

He has been clean and sober for about a year and is, today, a house leader for The Way Home CDA. 

Best of all, he has established relationships with his children and has good friends. He’s hoping to get a place of his own next year.

“It’s really awesome,” he said. “It just feels like a home I didn’t have growing up.”

His life is better than he expected it could ever be.

“I thought this kind of life existed in a movie,” Gordon said, smiling. 

Johnny Bobik was a gang member for 42 years, fought addictions for 20 years and spent 10 years in prison.

He needed a place to reclaim his life and, at the urging of a friend, came to North Idaho and found The Way Home CDA.

It was exactly what he was after.

“They give you some space to become a man again,” he said.

The journeyman carpenter is starting his own business and is free of drugs and alcohol. He shares his faith, volunteers at church and impresses upon the younger generation the need for a relationship with Christ.

“God took over my life and changed it,” Bobik said 

The 61-year-old said his life remains far from perfect, but he's done fighting his demons. That battle is over.

“When you surrender and you put your part in, God will change lives. Absolutely,” he said.

The road ahead

A year ago, The Way Home CDA began tracking its graduates. Some remain in the area. Some reconnect with family. Some leave to pursue a new career. Some falter.

Relationships with people and with God, Dave said, are keys to success.

“If you’ve got those two things, and they’re deep and they're real, it makes the ride a little smoother,” he said. 

Dave and Denise Sayers are a tight team. They keep tabs on each home, pay visits and handle the finances, but they let the managers and leaders oversee daily operations. 

They don’t ask for donations but could use them as expenses outpace revenue.

Every day has challenges.

“It’s full of joy. It’s full of commitment. It’s full of frustration. It’s full of sadness,” Dave said. “Running a halfway house, the emotions are everywhere.”

Still, even then, the Sayers are praying about opening another house.

“I think God wants me to do it," Dave said.

    Men with The Way Home CDA chat and check their phones at one of the Coeur d'Alene homes. From left, Mitchell Davis, Doug Gordon, Clayton Tucker and Shad Campbell.
  

    A lighted cross brightens the front of a house that is part of The Way Home CDA recovery program.
  

    Steve Brummel passes under a Christian message as he walks down the stairs of one of The Way Home CDA units in Coeur d'Alene.
  

    A Bible verse hangs on the wall of The Way Home CDA living room.