For residents of the Oxford House in Sequim, renting a room means more than just a place to stay; it represents a fresh start on life.

Jim Wasnock, a resident and president of the Sequim Oxford House, said he’s had a hard-fought journey from substance abuse to recovery.

“It’s been a whirlwind experience for me,” Wasnock said. “Two weeks ago I was out on the streets, and now I’m on to something new and exciting.”

Before he rented a room in the Sequim Oxford House, Wasnock was in jail, then had 45 days of inpatient treatment before he returned to his hometown of Port Angeles in September.

He went from living on the streets of Port Angeles to the couches of Oxford Houses in the city before he was granted a spot at the Oxford House in Sequim.

“I’m from Port Angeles and lived there my whole life,” he said. “An opportunity came up to move to this house (in Sequim) through my recovery and I jumped at the chance.”

Self-help housing

The Oxford House in Sequim is one of many in Washington state that serves as a self-sufficient recovery house for substance abusers that provides a chance for individuals to maintain a clean and sober way of life.

There are Oxford Houses around the country and internationally. Oxford House Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit umbrella organization of the national network of individual Oxford Houses.

There are seven Oxford Houses in Port Angeles — four for men and three for women and children — but the home on Pine Court is the only Oxford House in Sequim.

The Sequim home is 2,000 square feet, with four single units and one shared unit. The garage is said to become two more units in the next few months, residents said, to house two more men.

Each Oxford House has a different name and the one in Sequim is referred to as “Oxford House Rainshadow.”

George Duncan, a full-time volunteer for the Washington State Association of Oxford Houses who has helped open Oxford houses around the state, said the Sequim Oxford House opened Nov. 1 and houses six men so far.

“We have a bunch of new guys in recovery and they’re very enthusiastic,” he said.

Duncan said funding for the house was donated by a donor from King’s Way Foursquare Church (whom he did not name) with the condition that the home become an Oxford House.

“This (housing) is important because people become like family,” Duncan said.

Duncan is living in the Sequim Oxford House to help get it started.

Residents pay a $150 security deposit and go through an interview process in order to live in the Sequim house, Duncan said.

Once selected, residents pay $375 per month for rent and utilities and are expected to hold different responsibilities in the house, from washing dishes to taking out the trash to daily household chores.

There also is a democratic system implemented in the household decision-making process and each resident has an equal voice, he said.

There is not a client-recipient relationship for residents, Duncan said, but each resident is treated as an equal member of the household.

“When you put people in an upstanding community, they tend to behave in an upstanding way,” Duncan said.

The application process for the remaining two spots in the Sequim Oxford House is already underway, Duncan said, and there is now a wait-list for the home.

Resident testimony

Wasnock said the need and demand for more Oxford Houses in the area is evident.

“It took me several weeks and some perseverance just to get a couch,” he said.

“I moved into the house with the clothes on my back, and I didn’t have access to my old way of life. The challenges of not having an extra pair of shoes to a razor to shampoo has been tremendous challenges.”

For the other men he shares the house with, he believes the challenges are similar all around.

“For us to be in a nice, warm house, and to feel the support now of the community and the other recovering people, it’s a great sense of satisfaction.”

Residents at the Oxford House must remain clean and sober, pay equal shares in expenses, pitch in with house work, and must demonstrate non-disruptive behavior.

If a resident does not stay sober or does not meet his responsibilities, he will be asked to leave.

“There’s a lot of structure and accountability held to everyone,” Wasnock said.

“If anybody uses then you pack your bags in 15 minutes. It’s a non-tolerated issue and there’s a lot of pride in the house and the stages we’re in. (Oxford) houses are full of men or women trying their best.”

Since the Sequim Oxford House opened, Wasnock said, the relationships between the men has been smooth sailing thus far.

What separates Oxford Houses from other half-way houses or recovery houses is that residents can live in the house as long as they want if they continue to follow the rules.

“The people in an Oxford home, everyone is very tolerant,” Wasnock said.

“I have found through my journey the guys are terrific. To throw six dudes together it’s been an amazingly smooth thing so far.”

Wasnock said he is appreciative of the opportunity Oxford Houses have given him.

“I would stay in stoops and parks (before Oxford Houses),” he said.

“I’m speaking from someone that was in danger of relapsing and had no where else to turn; to say (Oxford Houses) are saving lives is not an understatement.”

For more information about Oxford Houses, visit www.oxfordhouse.us. To contact the Oxford House in Sequim, call 360-477-4539.

Reach Erin Hawkins at ehawkins@sequimgazette.com.

Derrick Tollefson cleans the kitchen after breakfast in the Oxford House Rainshadow in Sequim on Nov. 12. He and handful of other men live together working on recovery after substance abuse.

Jim Wasnock, a resident of Oxford House Rainshadow, shows off the amenities in the Sequim home including a walk-in closet for two of his housemates. The home houses six men working together on recovery from substance abuse. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash

Gavin Clough checks his Facebook page inside the Oxford House Rainshadow.

Jim Wasnock said he came into Sequim’s Oxford House with the clothes on his back. “It’s not lost on us. We know how nice this place is,” Wasnock said. “We’re learning to be responsible again.” Sequim Gazette photos by Matthew Nash