Newsroom

As an ambassador for Samad’s House, Cheryl Jones recently organized tables outside Franciscan Peacemakers on Lisbon Avenue in the Walnut Hill neighborhood on Milwaukee’s Near West Side. Samad’s House is one of the Midwest’s leading residential facilities for women in recovery. That morning, like so many others, Jones was there to counsel residents on harm reduction—offering tools, resources, and services designed to prevent drug overdose deaths and keep users safe.

A woman wandered by, eyeing the table. “What’s in the bags?” she asked.

Jones had heard this question countless times before. Her usual response was straightforward: she’d explain the contents—naloxone, a life-saving medicine that reverses opioid overdoses; fentanyl test strips to detect the deadly synthetic compound in street drugs; and gun locks to prevent accidental shootings. But too often, the response was met with shame. “I don’t use drugs,” people would say, turning away. They wouldn’t take the bags, Jones explained, because they were too embarrassed to admit they might need them.

But at 63, Jones had learned to adapt. That day, she tried a new approach. “I know you don’t use drugs,” she said gently. “But everyone knows someone—a family member, a friend, a neighbor—who does. Naloxone and test strips can save lives. Take them. Let me teach you how to use them. You could save someone’s life.”

In a moving Spectrum TV interview, Tahira Malik, founder of Samad’s House, and Caroline Gatson, a former resident turned Chief Ambassador, shared their deeply personal journeys of resilience, recovery, and the life-saving power of harm reduction. Their stories underscore the critical need for sustained harm-reduction funding to save lives and rebuild communities.

Over the past five years, Samad’s House has offered hope and inspiration for women and families in Milwaukee County. What began in 2020 as a single sober living home has grown into a network of three homes and a behavioral health clinic, offering comprehensive services to help women and families recover and stay sober. To date, Samad’s House has empowered over 75 women and nearly a dozen families to reclaim their lives, showing its profound impact on the community.

“We focus on the mind, body, and spirit while unifying with our families and children,” Malik explained during the interview. Samad’s House also provides compassionate harm reduction tools and resources to the community, such as naloxone and fentanyl test strips, to prevent overdoses and save lives.