Jericho Road began as an act of connection.

In the early 1990s, our founder, Ray Desmarais, opened the Jericho Road Coffeehouse—a weekly drop-in center where those on the margins could find warmth, welcome, and belonging. What started as a humble gathering place soon grew into a broader mission: to walk alongside individuals and families struggling with addiction, mental health, and isolation.

By 1997, Jericho Road had opened its first home for men facing mental health challenges. Over time, we expanded our housing to meet the needs of more men seeking a pathway toward healing and recovery. In 2005, we launched the Discipleship House (D-House), a 9-month residential treatment program grounded in the principles of peer support, 12-step recovery, and family-style living. We believe that the antidote to addiction is connection, and we strive to foster connection at every level: through shared meals, mutual responsibilities, spiritual growth, and community accountability.

Recognizing that addiction affects more than just the individual, we’ve always understood it as a family disease. In 2019, we took intentional steps to support families and loved ones by starting Family Support meetings. These weekly sessions provide a safe, confidential space for connection, healing, and education for those walking alongside someone in recovery. In the same year, we also began offering deeper connections to the broader community through new events and digital resources—efforts that only grew more vital during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our evolving Leadership Development Program, launched in 2019, creates meaningful opportunities for D-House graduates to grow as leaders. Through structured internships and mentoring, participants gain work and life experience that empowers them to become employable, confident, and community-minded. Many have overcome tremendous personal hurdles and now help shape a more compassionate, recovery-informed world.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 dramatically amplified the urgency of our work. Lockdowns and social isolation disproportionately affected those already vulnerable, leading to a surge in substance use, overdose deaths, and mental health crises. In response, we expanded the D-House from 9 to 14 beds and created new ways for people to stay connected in isolation. During this season, we launched The Recovery Connection Podcast and its early version, 3 O’Clock Talks—offering encouragement, insight, and community through honest conversations. While these projects have since concluded, they served as meaningful bridges of connection when our community needed it most.

Today, Jericho Road offers 33 beds across our residential and continuing care programs—14 in the D-House and 19 in our supportive homes. On average, 21 men enter the D-House each year. Many choose to continue their journey in one of our homes, where they receive ongoing care while deepening their relationship with God, themselves, and their community.

Since our beginning in 1993, we have remained steadfast in our mission: to provide safe, substance-free, affordable care for men impacted by addiction and concurrent disorders—and to welcome them and their families into a community of healing. Through spiritual formation, life-skills training, and a model of low-barrier, holistic recovery, we help build lives marked by purpose, belonging, and hope.