Evening star., 1954-05-03
FIynn's Half Way House

70 the e0iGOr Dy William +. Mcdonald
with respect to alcoholics and alcohol
ism. Mr.. Mcdonald is eminently cor
rect when he states that the Commits
Sioners and Municipal Court judges are
losing their perspective when. they at
tempt to h0SpitaliZe the men brought
before them charged with alcoholism.
Flynn's Half Way House of Washing
ton, which is the Districts only nom
segregated, non-sectarian alcoholic re-
habilitation center. stands ready to aid
the men who can receive no substantial
solution from the courts, jails and hos
pitalS here in the District of Columbia.
Alcoholism Is strange and unusual
disease, not to be remedied or cured by
jails. hospitals and institutions. A per-
son who is an alcoholic needs friends,
encouragement. love, compassion, kind
ness. understanding and material aid
These things, and more, are given to q
man who enters Flynn's Half Way
House Of Washington without hope.
The men come from the cutters,
from the jails, from the probation Of
fees. from the hospitals, from the po-
lice precincts and the drunk courts, dis
heveled. dirty, broken in spirit and
penniless. They are taken into Flynn's
Half Way House with spirit Of COM
passion and aid, are given clean
clothes. a place to stay and q friendly,
warm atmosphere. There the men re-
lax and boast to each other Of the
long periods of time that has passed
since they have taken q drop to drink.
T q nr0 do
men. thus mentally and morally en-
couraged. go to work, many Of them
receiving their jobs through the aid of
Flynn's Half Way House of Washing
ton, D. c. After the men have worked
for few weeks, q small checking ac-
count is opened in their names, a credit
account in their local department store
Is opened, thus giving the men sense
OF security and values, showing them
that they are important, wanted cit
izens in our community. The men no
longer are filled with disbursement
and fear but know that they have a
place they can stay as long as they like.
a place they can call their home, just
as you and / can call the place we live
our home.
Flynn's Half Way House of WASH
ington, D. c., has aided many men who
have come to its doors. some profess
sional men. We feel that 43 per cent
of the men who have been at our house
have stopped drinking completely and
this has been for over a period of nine
months. At dinner meeting recently
held at the New York Avenue Presby-
terian Church, Donald Clemmer, di-
rector of the Department Of Correction;
w. Cameron Burton, president of the
District Of Columbia Bar Association;
DR.. Frederick Reissig. executive director,
Washington Federation of Churches,
and many other prominent laymen and
churchmen were present, who all stated
that many people had thought of the
idea of Flynn's Half Way House as be-
ing the ideal solution, but no one had
done anything about it until Robert
Clawson decided to put his idea into
deeds.
Many of the men who have been
aided by Flynn's Half Way House, who
no longer drink, are clean, respectable,
Woodworking men, and go to the
Alcoholics Anonymous groups for fur
ther moral support. Flynn's Half Way
House Of Washington works hand-in-
glove with Alcoholics Anonymous and
we feel that this organization was nee
.essary In order to make AA more
complete success than it already is.
We are having great financial difd-
culties at this time. and appeal to the
public to send whatever contributions
they can to aid us with our expenses.
Jack N. Steinberg.
Chairman, Executive Board, Flynn's
Half Way House of Washington.
D. c.. National Theater Building,
washington S, D. c.