GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – The Jackie Nitschke Center is expanding its services by renovating a Green Bay house and turning it into a men’s recovery home.

The home is one of three residential treatment and sober living facilities owned and operated by the Jackie Nitschke Center.

Risk factors brought about by the pandemic such as isolation and depression have led to a nationwide trend upwards in addictions according to officials at the Jackie Nitschke Center.

This is one reason they say the men’s recovery home project is important.

For Peter James Silski, he says he was addicted to drugs and alcohol for 25 years. He says his addictions started when he was just a teenager. He explains he’s been addicted to heroin, crystal meth, and alcohol throughout his life.

“I had nobody,” Silski says. “I had no family, I had nobody and being placed in the recovery home I was able to form a bond with my recovering brothers.”

After checking into the Jackie Nitschke Center in 2019, Silski says he is now two years sober.

“Your self-worth is at an all-time low,” Silski says about battling addiction. “Being placed in a house with a nice safe environment is vital.”

Up to twelve men who were in the same shoes as Silski two years ago are set to stay at the Nitschke Center men’s recovery home starting in September.

Recovery home residents can stay there for up to 18 months. They must have a job, be in school, or be in treatment during their stay.

The new home is at 700 Cherry Street in Green Bay.

Chief Executive Officer Larry Connors is one of the people that made it all happen.

“This is not just a renovation of a home, but really a restoration of people’s lives,” Connors says.

Connors says the home eliminates risk factors that cause people to slip back into addiction.

“For some people going back to the communities they came from can be a trigger,” Connors says. “So by providing a place people can live together with peer support and programmatic support their chances of success are much improved.”

Silski says he hopes the new recovery home can help residents put addiction behind them just like he was able to do.