Front View of One of the
Mens Residences in Beach
Park, IL.
Rear Yard, Wood Storage
Shed, and Parking at the
Above Residence
Housing Program
Awakening

A   New

Spirit
A Short History of our
Housing Program and the
Ideals it is trying to instill
in its residents.

The Grand Experiment
Charities was formed
originally with the idea in
mind that filling the void
of lack of housing in the
social service structure as
it was a few years ago
when it related to the
question:

"Did a person graduating
a treatment program for
alcohol or drug abuse in
the lake county area have
any other option with
regards to living
environment other than
returning to the old area
where they used their
alcohol or drugs?"  
TGECI
The Grand Experiment Charities, Inc.
The Oxford House
Model group
home system of
operation is a well
designed model
that has been in
existence for
many years and
has been
replicated in
many ways by
many other
groups operating
similar systems.  
The Oxford House
Model designates
the operation for
each home to be
self run and self
governed by the
members who live
in the home.  
There is one
steadfast rule
that means
immediate
eviction...Use of
alcohol or drugs
either inside or
outside the house
by any
resident....There
are 2 other rules
that are strictly
monitored and
can lead to
immediate
eviction.  The first
is no disruptive
behavior inside or
outside the
house...The
second is that
each member
must pay their
equal share of
household
expenses
including the
lease payment.  
In becoming a
member of an
Oxford House the
individual waives
any due process
from local
landlord tenant
laws and subjects
himself/herself to
a majority vote of
the members with
regards to
admittance and
eviction.  The
Oxford system
has been a great
success because
it teaches the
individual to live
among others,
share
responsibilities,
and regain self
respect, and self
confidence.  The
individual also
lives with others
in the same life
circumstances as
they are and they
can support one
another by
sharing
experience,
strength, and
hope.  The
suggested
minimum
requirement for
membership in an
Oxford House is
having 30 days
clean and sober
and remains a  
solution for help
in bridging the
gap from active
alcohol or drug
use to
independent
living.

The answer was the choice has been very limited.  This
caused a number of problems as we saw it and all it did
was send people back to using or drinking and the
behaviors that related to that life style; crime,
homelessness, sexual abuse, and violence.

This is the solution we decided was the best course to
take.

We decided to recruit property owners who were
disenchanted with the idea of continuing relationships
with their current renters and talked to them about
offering people who were coming out of treatment a
different option to what has existed in the past.  The
response has been wonderful to say the least.

We started by suggesting the use of the Oxford Model for
running the houses and were able to create 21 new beds
in 26 months in 3 houses in the Lake County Area during
2005 -2006.  Here is the upside of this as we see it.  First
and foremost we had helped give 21men hope for their
future. Next we had helped take 21 men from a life of
homelessness and physical, emotional, and material
bankruptcy and given them an environment where they
can grow into productive, law abiding citizens with an
attitude of returning what they have learned to those
who come behind them with volunteer service to the
newcomer.  

Finally in the Fall of 2007 we were able to go to the next
step of opening actual Grand Experiment Houses with
our official approval of 501(c)3 status from the Internal
Revenue Service.  

We are honored to be able to make this announcement:  
The opening of 3 new Grand Experiment Houses in our
area.  The first house to mention is the conversion of the
Acorn House in Beach Park from an Oxford House to
TGECI-Acorn.  This house is now fully chartered through
our housing committee and will be used as the model for
the other houses in the housing group to follow.  The
second house to mention is the opening of the
TGECI-Hope House in North Chicago and this house is
temporarily chartered and has 4 new residents with
room for a total of 7.  We also are addressing needs of
those communities outside of Lake County but which
have shown an interest in what we are doing and in
responding to that interest and fulfilling their need as
well as showing commitment to our mission with
replication of our program as a staple for our growth, we
have opened the TGECI-Action House in Racine,
Wisconsin where there are currently 4 residents with
room for 8 total and the house is in the process of
applying for their temporary charter.
As of April 2009 TGECI Housing Program now consists
of 4 houses.  We were notified by the men in the Action
House that they had started their own organization
called Men in Action and have decided to charter the
Action House under this new organizations program.  In
November of 2009 we added the Horan House in
downtown Waukegan, Illinois with beds for 6 men and
designated to the support of homeless veterans, to the
Housing Program and are currently in the process of
opening a new house in midtown Waukegan, Illinois
with beds for 7 men, to be called the Harry House, with
availability in Mid April 2010.

As we have grown as an organization and continued our
mission we have seen both success and failure and have
become stronger as an organization because of working
through those experiences.  We have expanded our
knowledge base in dealing with people in the recovery
process and addressing continuing needs that we find
are not evident in all cases but yet become accute to the
individual.  We have learned that our successes have
come from keeping things simple and keeping what
works so when opening The Grand Experiment Houses
we have instituted a new house manual for those to
follow.

This manual incorporates new rules for the houses to
follow that address issues we have found to be common
in a group living situation and not addressed in the
Oxford Model.  These new rules apply to behaviors
demonstrated that help an individual reintegrate into the
community as a fully functioning individual.  The rules
are designed to develop behaviors that seek to commit a
person to either working in an existing community
project or if one has the desire to then start their own
project that they can  involve their community in.  The
idea is to bring a person out of the sole existence of just
recovery related situations and more in to the main
stream of their community and thus expanding their life
experiences, their friendship base, their spiritual
balance and their life successes all working to improving
self image and self sufficiency beyond the staples of
working a recovery program through an independent 12
step group and gainful employment.

We think the Experiment is a continuing success and ask
any of you who are interested in knowing more to
contact us at our phone number listed on the welcome
page or fill out an information request on our contact
page.  We will be happy to share with you the joy of
giving to others and living their successes with them.