Sarasota sober living home working to rebuild after flooding from Debby: 'It's so important'

Sarasota transitional house flooded during Debby

Purpose House Transitional Homes is reaching out the community for support after a sober living home was badly damaged by flooding from Debby nearly a month ago.

SARASOTA, Fla. - A shell of a home remains in Sarasota as crews work to repair what Tropical Storm Debby destroyed.

"The water was about this high," said Kelly Miller, director of Purpose House Transitional Homes, as she held her hand about waist high. "But because it soaked up we had to tear all the drywall down. We’ve had this home for ten years. Just the guys here were family. They’re still family today."

The home in the Pinecraft area of Sarasota housed nine men. Each was on a journey and had just completed detox and treatment, then began a 12-step recovery program.

"It was just so sad because the guys in the house, they just started getting their things back and they started rebuilding their lives and then all of that was taken away from them," said Miller.

On August 5, the work inside the home came to a halt as water from the Phillippi Creek poured in.

"It’s so important that we get this up and running. I have guys calling me that we don’t have a spot for until we get this up and running," said Miller.

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Items like drywall, appliances, furniture and beds are needed. The cost to rebuild comes to around $70,000. It’s money Purpose House Transitional Homes hopes to raise to continue saving lives within these walls.

"We didn’t have any flood insurance and because it wasn’t a primary residence, FEMA wouldn’t help us," said Miller.

Past participants in the program like Brianne Wheeler are stepping up to help.

"Purpose House saved my life. I know Purpose House has saved many other men’s lives, especially [those] who have come from this home and their other multiple homes," said Wheeler.

It will take the full support of the community to rebuild what was lost.

"To get this up and running as quickly as possible so that an addict is saved is very important. We don’t want to keep having the deaths that we are having just because there isn’t somewhere for somebody to go," said Wheeler.

To volunteer or donate, contact Kelly at 941-586-6370 or click here.

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