Every 19 minutes, the office phone at The Quinn House rings. On the other end, in many cases, the voice of a broken man desperately searching for help. The Quinn House is a critical resource in Gwinnett County, providing lifelines to men fighting their way to sobriety and back to their families. Whether these men find The Quinn House as a last resort on their own or through referrals from law enforcement officials, The Quinn House team answers each call and serves each man with compassion, dignity, and love.

For 33 years, The Quinn House has provided a safe place for individuals and families to find recovery through counseling and strong faith. This kind of support is exactly what John and Carrol Quinn had in mind when they began inviting homeless families into their house so many years ago. Mr. and Mrs. Quinn created a family environment filled with love and hope for people everyone else had given up on. They knew that it was in this setting healing and renewed thinking could begin.

The Quinn House – a “non-profit Outreach Operation” – continues to help individuals get back on their feet and re-enter society as stable contributors to our community.  

Their 40-day Residential Drug and Alcohol Program provides healthy methods for men to develop new ways of thinking and coping techniques to deal with the issues that led them to addiction. The faith-based recovery program is designed to allow residents to grow and reach sobriety at their own pace.

As program participants work to heal wounds caused by years of destructive behavior and turn hopelessness into helpfulness, they are presented with opportunities to make positive impacts in their own backyard.

Pete, Food Ministry Manager at The Quinn House, tearfully recalls his time in the program as a resident. “I was a functional alcoholic for many years, and in my addiction, I acted very selfishly. Life was all about me and my needs – but when I started helping others, I was able to take the focus off of myself, and I started seeing other people’s pain for the first time in a long time. It was then I realized just how much people need me and how much I need them to survive.” This month makes four years since Pete had his last drink. Today, he is committed to lifelong sobriety and serving with love.

Like many men who enter and complete the program, Pete’s perspective about life changed when he opened his heart to giving back by helping others.

With a success rate of close to 80%, The Quinn House is creating positive change in our community.

Because ACU gives generously to The Quinn House throughout the year, this life-saving program can be offered to individuals in need– free of charge and without judgement.

LOVE RESTORES THE BROKENHEARTED

In 2013, when Rickie and Pat Smokes walked down the aisle as husband and wife, they could not believe how miraculously their paths had crossed at the intersection of faith and restoration. Just three years earlier, Rickie's life was in complete turmoil. Like his father, brothers, and uncles before him, Rickie had become a raging alcoholic by the time he was a young adult. He had destroyed all relationships, burned every bridge, and was ‘knocking on death's door’ when he entered the Drug and Alcohol Program at The Quinn House.

Today, Rickie is the Director of the men's program. He oversees program operations and encourages the men not to give up. He reminds them there is a better way to live. Rickie has been sober since 2010, and has restored every relationship that was destroyed by his alcoholism. He has broken the cycle of addiction. His personal mission now is to achieve all of the goals in sobriety he didn’t even know existed in his addiction. One goal Rickie has already proudly achieved is finding his true love, Pat.

Years before Rickie entered the program, Pat and her young son were invited to live with John and Carrol Quinn. Pat had endured back-to-back heartache, including her husband's death from a drug overdose. Scared and nearly homeless, Pat found friendship and guidance under the wings of Mr. and Mrs. Quinn. Pat says, "John and Carrol truly saved my life." Now The Quinn House Thrift Store Manager, Pat shares the same love and understanding she received at her lowest point with customers, residents, and the thrift store staff and volunteers.
Rickie and Pat would say they are perfect examples of how broken vessels can be put back together, piece by piece, when love restores the brokenhearted.

THE QUINN HOUSE THRIFT STORE

The Quinn House Thrift Store is an outreach offered to the community. Household items and clothing are often given to families in need. They may help furnish children’s empty rooms, provide professional clothes to individuals starting new careers, or kitchen wares to a young mother escaping domestic abuse.

Once program participants complete their stay at The Quinn House and are ready for re-entry into the community, they too are given clothes and supplies to furnish their homes to start their new lives.

FEEDING OUR COMMUNITY WITH LOVE

Recognized as a licensed Food Bank, The Quinn House staff and program participants collect food from big-box grocery stores, sort the items, and distribute 1.2 million pounds of food each year to individuals and families who are experiencing food insecurity. At least 30 families stop by The Quinn House each week to pick up healthy food options, carefully boxed for convenience and given to them with love.

Drive by The Quinn House on the last Wednesday of any month, and you will see a dozen cars lined up to receive food boxes. Each box contains produce, meats, bread, other necessary staples, and even a sweet treat. More than 130 seniors visit The Quinn House each month to participate in the Senior Food Box Program.

ACU partners with exceptional community organizations. Our generous support to The Quinn House helps them provide critical care to addicted men, distribute healthy food boxes to poor families and the elderly, operate a low-cost thrift store, and plant seeds of love and hope into hurting and discouraged hearts. Now that’s impact!

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