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329 N. Bellevue
Memphis, TN 38105
901-722-8460
www.gracehousememphis.org


History

Grace House was founded in 1976 by Pat S. With 25 years of sobriety at the time, she wanted to create a safe place for female alcoholics. Originally, Grace House was an 8 bed facility that served as a safe house for women. There were no paid staff members, only volunteers. No records were kept, but we know that at times, clients were given the keys and told to take care of everything, while the volunteer staff went home to rest.

  • By 1978, group therapy sessions were held on a regular basis. Assertiveness training classes were started by Pat Buckley in 1980.
  • In 1981, Sharon Trammell became director. Group therapy, individual therapy and regular classes were conducted on a regular basis. Grace House expanded to include 18 beds (4 of which were used as social setting detox beds). This was the beginning of a more structured program. Files were kept and taxes were paid.
  • In 1982-83, a social detoxification program was started that required a full-time nurse and a volunteer doctor.
  • In 1983, step classes were started; the house was remodeled, and four new rehab beds were added.
  • In 1985, our volunteer doctor resigned. Dr. Jim Burnett was hired as our staff doctor.
  • The first full-time counselor was hired in 1986. That same year, Grace House added a halfway house, bringing the total bed count to 25.
Today, Grace House offers a detoxification program (2 weeks, 4 beds), a rehabilitation program (3-6 months, 13 beds), and a halfway house program for extended treatment (3-12 additional months, 8 beds). The rehabilitation program includes group, individual and family therapy; assertiveness, relationship and abuse awareness classes; twelve-step and communications classes, as well as lectures about recovery, leadership, wellness and effective living skills. The Halfway House (Extended) program offers individual, as well as group therapy, and- training in job readiness.

Grace House has a trained, licensed staff of seven counselors and ten additional support staff. Eighty percent of the full-time staff have been with Grace House for over ten years. (Please visit our staff page for more information.)

Over the years, Grace House has expanded its funding base and now receives annual funding from the TN State Department of Health, United Way of the Midsouth and the City of Memphis. Grace House is the only long-term residential treatment center in the state of Tennessee that is for women only.


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