OSWEGO, NY – Following five years of construction and remodeling, The Desens House located at 264 W. Second St. in Oswego, held their ribbon cutting on Wednesday, July 19; and is now officially ready to open their long-term residential program for women living with Substance Use Disorder, Executive Director Dean Wright said.
The Desens House support team participated in the ribbon cutting along with The Desens House leadership which included: Dean Wright, Alicia Vann and Amy Champlin, and The Desens House Board of Directors: Jonathan Evans, Bill King, Eric Bresee, Teresa Woolson, Rachael Stahl, and Jodi Smith as well as: Mayor Billy Barlow, the Greater Oswego-Fulton Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors, Assemblyman Will Barclay’s representative Brittney Jerred, Margaret Barclay representing Oswego Health, and Executive Director of the Richard Shineman Foundation Chena Tucker.
Jonathan Evans, the lead Pastor of Elim Grace Church, has had a vision for bringing hope to those struggling with addiction.
“I am here, and my wife is here, and our children are here, and soon our grandchildren will be here, because my father and father-in-law both found freedom from drug addiction decades ago,” Evans said. “As a result of the lasting change in their individual lives, generations were set free. That’s what we will pray for and work towards as the Desens House: setting generations free one life at a time.”
The name “Desens” comes from one of the original founding families of Elim Grace Church. In the same way that this single family has had an impact on the church community generationally, the Desens House with its mission of hope and healing, is the next generation of Elim Grace Church, Wright said. “There are many women within the church community, that have years of sobriety under their belts and are dedicated to jumping into this project and living life alongside women struggling across the continuum of addiction. Their lives and their transformation are the foundational reminder that people can and do change.“
The Desens House is more than a house in two ways, Evans explained. “First, it represents a home. The very building is intended to speak a message of belonging, and of dignity. Our vision was to build something so beautiful that any woman coming to live in this home might walk in and say to themselves, ‘This is really for me?’ We wanted the beauty of the home to speak or confer dignity and value to them. We wanted them to know and to feel that in God’s eyes and in ours they are loved, valued and treasured.
“Second, the Desens House is more than a house in that it represents not only a home but a family. I believe that a person committed to change needs a people committed to change. The Desens House family and tribe aims to be that people. No one can find enduring change and lasting freedom all alone. We are committed to rally around the women seeking lasting change and enduring freedom for their lives.”
In the same way that a person needs the help and support of others, the Desens House can’t do this alone, Wright said. “We are also a part of a larger people committed to change. Elim Grace Church, the Shineman Foundation, Farnham Family Services, Mayor Barlow and the City of Oswego, and so many other like-minded and like-hearted partners in this community — YOU make up our larger family and people. We need you and we are thankful we get to serve alongside you.”
To learn more about The Desens House visit their website at desenshouse.org.
