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Samad House Triumphs Take Center Stage

by | Oct 9, 2025 | Newsroom, Samad's House, The Frontline Voices

 Dear Readers,

I’m thrilled to welcome you to the very first issue of The Frontline Voices! This newsletter serves as a platform to share updates, stories, and insights from Samad’s House as we continue our mission to empower women, prevent overdoses, foster a compassionate community of recovery and hope, and advocate for supportive care services, such as providing naloxone, a life-saving opioid overdose reversal medication, and fentanyl test strips.

My own journey has been one of transformation—from addiction and incarceration to recovery and, in 2020, the founding of Samad’s House. Today, we are proud to be one of the Midwest’s leading sober living facilities and comprehensive harm reduction services for women. Our compassionate care and safe practice services are lifelines, helping women make safer choices, rebuild their lives, and achieve lasting sobriety if that is their desire.

At Samad’s House, we are deeply committed to stopping overdose deaths. Through our services, we empower women to restore family relationships, manage their sobriety, and reintegrate into society with dignity and strength.

October: A Month of Milestones

This October, we are blessed with exciting events and opportunities to further our mission:

  1. PBS Documentary Premiere: Coming Home
    PBS’s Independent Lens has released a documentary about my life journey, titled Coming Home. This powerful film highlights the challenges and triumphs that led to the creation of Samad’s House.

To celebrate, we’re hosting a special fundraiser and private screening of Coming Home on October 23. event will feature:

  • A screening of the documentary
  • Dinner and a silent auction
  • A panel discussion with me, my daughter Samia Harris, director/producer Joanna Rudnick, and Dennis Radcliffe, a harm reduction advocate from Dane County, who worked for Wisconsin’s Department of Human Services.

    This event is dedicated to supporting women in recovery and advancing compassionate care provided through harm reduction initiatives. Silent Auction Highlights:

    • A Green Bay Packers football autographed by the 2025 team
    • Gifts from Arteryink, including custom greeting cards, prints, and apparel
    • Contributions from Audrey Allen (Personal Trainer), the Wisconsin Athletic Club, Hyatt Resorts and Hotels, the Capital Grille Steakhouse, and Honey Bee Sage Wellness & Apothecary Cafe.

    We are still accepting auction items! If you’d like to contribute, please contact Kristen Nicholson at knicholsonlpc@gmail.com or call 414-940-7141.

    A heartfelt thank you to our Presenting Sponsor, Bader Philanthropies, and the Brewers Community Foundation for their generous support.

    1. New Website Launch
      We’re excited to announce the launch of our new website: www.samadshouse.org. This platform is a hub for education, advocacy, and action. It highlights our harm reduction efforts, shares success stories, and underscores the importance of equitable funding for recovery programs.

    We invite you to explore the site, learn more about our work, and see how Samad’s House is making a difference in the lives of women, families, and communities.

    1. Podcast Launch: Voices of the Front Lines
      I’m proud to announce the launch of our new podcast, Voices of the Front Lines. This series dives into the overdose crisis in Milwaukee, particularly within Black communities, and explores how compassionate harm reduction strategies are saving lives. Stay tuned for powerful conversations and actionable insights. The podcast will soon be available on our website and on all major podcast platforms, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music.

    Join Us in Making a Difference

    This month is a testament to the power of community and the impact we can have when we come together. Whether you attend our fundraiser, explore our new website, or tune into our podcast, your support helps us continue our life-saving work.

    Thank you for being part of this journey. Together, we can empower women, prevent overdoses, and build a brighter future.

    See you next month in The Frontline Voices!

    With gratitude,
    Tahira Malik
    Founder, Samad’s House

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    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.”

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    Saving Lives, Restoring Hope:  Spectrum TV Tells the Story of Samad’s House

    Saving Lives, Restoring Hope:  Spectrum TV Tells the Story of Samad’s House

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    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.

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