Our Story
Leading Men Down the Recovery Path We’ve Walked Ourselves
“Why do you do what you do?” At Neartown, we get asked that question often. For us, the answer is always, “Because someone did it for us!”
Neartown’s story is one of those stories that you read about in a book. It is one of those stories that if you did not know that it was true you might question it. Like most good stories, the main characters are the underdogs.
Although Kenny and Jereme, Neartown’s founders, did not know each other until they got into recovery, their paths were much the same. They both started using drugs and alcohol at an early age. They both became addicted to drugs and alcohol. They were both unable to quit using drugs and alcohol on their own. Kenny lost a successful business. Jereme lost a family and his freedom. They both lost it all. Drugs and alcohol became their master!
But then… something changed!
For many, the loss of a successful business, the loss of a family, the loss of freedom, and the right to vote sound like a terrible thing…but not to them. Those events are just what they needed. Those events were the catalyst to the beginning of a new life.
Through a series of events, they both wound up with the same twelve-step sponsor. The recovery program that they practice defines a “Spiritual Experience or Spiritual Awakening” as a change in the way you think. They both had just that. As they began to do something different, they began to get something different. The application of the twelve-steps led them to a change in the way they thought that led them to a change in the way they acted!
As the years passed, they both opened their homes to people in recovery. Kenny hosted twelve-step meetings and housed people in need. Jereme and his family opened their basement to those struggling. After having a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, they both tried to carry the message of hope to others. They had dreams of someday opening a home just for people in recovery.
Over the past decade, Neartown has grown. In addition to our sober living home, we operate a state licensed, CARF accredited, ASAM certified short-term residential program with 28 beds for men.
Neartown’s hope for you is simple: We hope that you find a design for living that works. A design for living that leads to peace, joy, and freedom. A design for living that includes both self-care and service to others. A design for living that makes your community a better place because you are in it. We sincerely hope that you have a change in the way that you think that leads you to a life of meaning, purpose and fun! And some day, “May we meet on the road to happy destiny.”
Our Outcomes Tell the Rest of the Story
Neartown Recovery is more than the moments we share here. It’s measured in the guests who walk out stronger than they walked in. We track real numbers from admission to discharge: guests report a 41.3% reduction in anxiety and a 46.4% reduction in depression by the end of treatment, alongside a 43% increase in their understanding of the 12 steps. Nearly 90% leave completely satisfied with their care, and almost every guest says they’d recommend us to someone they love.
These outcomes reflect what we set out to build in Kirksey: a place where evidence-based treatment and genuine community come together to create lasting change. Our story isn’t just where we came from. It’s what we help guests build going forward.