Photo by Tom Jenz
Kenneth Ginlack and the Serenity Inns team
Kenneth Ginlack and the Serenity Inns team
Three years ago, when I first met Kenneth Ginlack, he related his life story, which was so emotionally profound that it still stays with me. Ginlack’s personal history has been wounded with drug and alcohol addiction, drug dealing, petty theft, and a trail of emotional wreckage. He lived inside trauma.
“It was 2007,” he told me back then. “I had a wife and three kids. We lived in my mother’s basement. One cold winter night, I needed money badly. I slipped a metal pipe in my sleeve. My plan was to rob somebody. I was walkin’ down Burleigh near Sherman Park, and I see these two clean-cut white guys in nice coats who were lookin’ to buy crack cocaine. I got in the backseat of their car, tellin’ them I could score some crack. I had them pull into an alley, and I pulled out my metal pipe, thinkin’ I’d rob them, maybe even kill them. Suddenly, I said, “Stop the car!” I jumped out and started cryin.’ Hit me hard I was a crackhead and an alcoholic. I was thinking I’ll either die or change my life. That night, I checked into a recovery center, got detoxed, and eventually spent three months in residential treatment and then three more months in a transitional living house.”
By 2012, Ginlack was working as a counselor in human services. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Upper Iowa University and then his masters degree in social work from Loyola, Chicago. He passed various national exams and became a licensed psychotherapist. He also became the director of outpatient programs for Milwaukee County. But now, Ginlack is executive director of Serenity Inns, a drug treatment center for men in recovery. Supported by Milwaukee’s top leaders, he was celebrating the ribbon cutting of the new building built on a vacant lot 15 blocks east from where he once sold drugs as a younger man.
What is Serenity Inns?
Located on 28th and Brown, Serenity Inns was born out of concern from leaders in five Lutheran congregations situated in the geographical epicenter of a drug trafficking area in the central city. Mostly African American, the neighborhoods are economically distressed communities where substance abuse disorders and addiction add stress to the residents. In late 2001, these Lutheran leaders created a vision to serve these communities with the men-only recovery residence.
Serenity Inns is the only Milwaukee facility who takes men who cannot afford to pay. It offers a holistic approach to recovery, addressing physical, social, emotional, financial, and spiritual well-being. Since the program began, 690 men have walked the path to recovery.
I wanted Ginlack to tell the story. Our conversation took place in the new $3 million, 14-bed Serenity Inns house, which will serve 56 additional men seeking recovery from substance use disorder each year. Located on 28th and Brown Street, the new center sits adjacent to Serenity Inns’ existing 12-bed treatment facility, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
When I did a story on you three years ago, you were the director of outpatient programs for Milwaukee County and a licensed psychotherapist with your own clients. Why did you leave that job to become the executive director of Serenity Inns?
I was the first African American to be the director of outpatient programs, and I loved the job, but I wanted to do more in the community. Serenity Inns reached out to me, and I went to the yearly gala where I met the residents and board members. I did a tour of the facility. It talked to my heart, and my wife encouraged me.
For you, this job is inspirational and spiritual as opposed to just practical.
Yes. As a young man, I had actually gone through drug treatment in a facility much like Serenity Inns.
Describe your job responsibilities as Executive Director at Serenity Inns.
I handle the day-to-day operations, and I help secure the funding. For the last 20 years, we had depended on nonprofit grants and private donations. We did not take any government funding. Our new 14-bed facility does take government grants and includes Medicaid services. Besides our older 12-bed facility, we also have an apartment building on 25th and Kilbourn, The Alumni House, which houses men after they complete the 4 to 6 months treatment here in our two houses.
What do the men do while they are residing at The Alumni House? Are they working?
Yes, they are already stable and working, and some have a driver’s license. They are also required to pay rent of $525 per month. It’s independent living.
Do they eventually transition out of there to lead a so-called normal life?
Some do, but a lot of guys don’t want to leave because it’s kind of a family atmosphere.
The stated mission of Serenity Inns is “to empower men struggling with substance use disorder by offering a holistic treatment program focused on compassion, healing, and personal growth while fostering a compassionate community of accountability, guiding them on their journey to recovery.” Can you explain that treatment program in detail?
Besides treating the addiction, we look at the whole person, physical, emotional, and spiritual. Our goal is to get a man on his journey to recovery. With our new building where we are now, we will be a Community Based Treatment Facility (CBRF), which will qualify us as a licensed facility to offer Medicaid. We will also be able to address the men’s backgrounds and trauma. We will have therapy and group therapy. After they finish treatment here in the new building, we can move them across the street, which is Phase 2 of the program. They are required to work, and we have relationships with employers who help us. The men participate in groups in the evening and attend dinner fellowships. Once the men have completed this Phase 2, they can move into our Alumni House apartment building on Kilbourn.
I just met James, a counselor here. Have your counselors gone through the program or are they recovered addicts?
Actually, they are all in recovery including my Innkeeper and my Maintenance guy. Even my operations manager, Jason, has gone through Serenity. He now has a masters degree in business. I call my staff, “peer support on steroids.”
Supposing I am an addict struggling with alcohol, opioid, or drug abuse, and I realize I need help. How do I get in touch with you, and what is the Serenity Inns process to get me admitted and help me start on the road to recovery?
A lot of people call us. We have a referral page on our Serenity Inn's website. Many of our referrals come from a detox facility. That’s because we are not equipped to deal with an individual actively going through withdrawal. But if you do come to our facility, you need to have a strong desire to go through the process of recovery. It can be a difficult journey.
So how do you assess a potential applicant?
First, you go through the intake process and meet with a counselor, who will do a biopsychosocial assessment. We also assess your background, if there was trauma in your childhood or in your family. If you meet the criteria, you are accepted.
Are all your clients who are in recovery required to be residents at your facility?
Yes, clients are required to live on site. However, Milwaukee County just gave us a grant called Better Ways to Cope, and we will be opening a drop-in center by the end of 2024. It is for people who just need harm reduction medicine or who might want to apply for our program.
You were once a crackhead and an alcoholic. Then came a breaking point where you realized you would either die or change your life. How does that traumatic experience help you in the treatment of the men at Serenity Inns? And do you share your back story with some of them?
Sometimes, I will lead a group and talk to the guys, assessing them. First question I ask is “What are you willing to do to stay clean.” Many say they would do anything to stay clean. I sometimes remind them of that statement because they need to remember their lowest point when they were begging for money or sleeping outside.
But you do share your own experience if it seems appropriate?
Absolutely, but for some of the guys, it’s hard to believe that I was once where they were. I’m wearing a suit and I am the director and they think I cannot relate to them. I like to be a role model for these guys.
I read this on your website: “If there’s one thing all addicts have in common, it’s that their addiction takes over most of their thoughts and emotions.” Can you comment?
When you are trapped in the horror of your addiction, it consumes you. You might have a hobby, a wife, or a family, but you can’t think of anything besides getting high. The drugs take over your life. I might see a guy walk in here, and the look in his eyes is hopeless. My biggest reward is seeing those eyes get the hope back through the recovery process.
Today, there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open Serenity Inns’ new building here on 28th and Brown, which is a $3 million, 14-bed treatment facility. The goal is to help alleviate Milwaukee’s critical need for treatment services by serving 56 additional men seeking recovery from substance use disorder each year. Describe the new facility, and how will it expand the treatment options?
We will now be able to provide in-house treatment where we address the trauma of each individual. Each guy is required to do 20 hours of treatment per week through individual sessions, group therapy, and sessions with family members who can learn more about ways to support the addict. If a guy recovers and goes home to find family members using drugs, he will probably relapse. We introduce the guys to the AA 12-Step Club and to the Narcotics Anonymous Club so that they will still have support when they leave here.
After Ginlack and I parted ways, I went downstairs to the dining room packed with supporters, well-wishers, and Milwaukee leaders.
I tracked down Mayor Cavalier Johnson, who gave me a minute. “Last time I was here, this was an inner city vacant lot,” he said, “but now we have this new facility to support people who need help with drug addiction and are trying to turn their lives around. Every citizen can support treatment for those in need. It costs nothing to be kind.”
I cornered County Executive, David Crowley, for a comment. “Serenity Inns is one of the county partners in growing the treatment spaces,” he said. “They are helping people who need treatment get access to services they need. I grew up in the inner city, and my family has been affected by drug addiction. My parents both suffered from drug addiction and mental health. It’s good to see this new building located in the heart of the inner city.”
Then, I spoke with an addict in residence. He said, “I’ve been in recovery for five and a half months and will soon be moving to the Alumni House, I hope. It’s been a wonderful journey, but it is still tough some days, but I am diligent about learning who I am. I’ve come from heroin and fentanyl addiction to where I am now.”
The ceremony began. Supporters crowded the dining hall, most standing. Kenneth Ginlack gave an emotional speech. At one point, he had to stop to wipe away his tears. I thought of where he had come from and where he is now.
For more information on the Serenity Inns program, visit serenityinns.org or call 414-873-5474.
