FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 17, 2025
Contact:
Michael K. Frisby
Mike@frisbyassociates.com/202-625-4328
SAMAD’S HOUSE UNVEILS NEW WEBSITE HIGHLIGHTING HARM REDUCTION APPROACHES AND SOBER LIVING SUPPORT FOR WOMEN IN RECOVERY
MILWAUKEE, WI – Samad’s House, one of the Midwest’s leading sober living homes for women, today launched an exciting new website. The platform serves as the foundation for a campaign to save lives through harm reduction approaches, support women recovering from substance use disorders, and ensure that government, private sector, and philanthropic organizations allocate funding equitably.
Founded in 2020, Samad’s House offers a transformative environment that empowers women to manage their sobriety, restore family relationships, and reclaim their lives. The new website vividly details the life-changing assistance provided to women in recovery, while advocating for harm reduction strategies and also sharing success stories of those who have conquered challenging paths towards sobriety and recovery, inspiring hope and resilience in others.
“Our website transmits how we help women through recovery and the effect our work can have on saving and rebuilding lives,” said Tahira Malik, the founder of Samad’s House, who recovered from years of substance use. “It is critical that the public, as well as state, city, and community leaders understand what we do, how it impacts individuals, families, and communities, and why this work needs their continued support.”
The website at www.samadshouse.org explains that harm reduction is a public health strategy aimed at minimizing the negative consequences associated with drug use. Harm reduction saves lives among people who use drugs and works to mitigate the harm associated with drug use, stigma, and drug policies. As the website states, Samad’s House provides resources like naloxone, fentanyl test strips, and mental health support that empower individuals to make safer choices while respecting their autonomy. The website also lists locations where naloxone is available in Milwaukee’s north side neighborhoods.
“Harm reduction is crucial in supporting recovery, preventing overdoses, and fostering a compassionate community environment,” Malik said, adding that Samad’s House seeks to increase access to harm reduction resources.
Notably, the website also highlights the organization’s vital community partnerships, announces upcoming community events, and features insightful podcasts hosted by Malik, who discusses recovery, harm reduction, and funding issues with community leaders and public officials.
In a powerful success story, Caroline Gatson, 59, shares her journey from three and a half decades of drug use to recovery. She spent time at Samad’s House and is now enrolled as a psychology major at Alverno College in Milwaukee. “There were times when my children didn’t hear from me for months because I was in jail,” she recalled. “But I got the help I needed to get sober and stay sober. The time I spent at Samad’s House was important because I needed a place to go where I would be away from the influences that kept turning me back to drugs.”
Her story is a testament to the fact that recovery is possible and the life-changing influence of Samad’s House.
The website also features “Coming Home,” a documentary that delves into Malik’s life and her journey through substance use and recovery. The film portrays Malik as a visionary, charting a transformative path from addiction to healing, while highlighting Samad’s House as a sanctuary for women overcoming substance use disorders. On October 23, 2005, Samad’s House is sponsoring a special screening and fundraising event at No Studios, 1037 McKinley Ave. in Milwaukee. A trailer can be seen HERE.
“It is important for community and civic leaders, as well as public officials, to recognize the important contributions that Samad’s House and similar facilities make to their communities,” said Adrienne Hurst, Senior Technical Advisor for Overdose Prevention Program at Vital Strategies, a global health organization supporting Samad’s House’s work to reduce overdose deaths. “The new Samad’s House website helps tell their story and underscores the need for funding decisions on all levels to be made equitably, especially in historically under-resourced communities and those with higher overdose rates despite drug use similar to other groups.”
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(For interviews with Tahira Malik, please contact Michael Frisby at mike@frisbyassociates.com or 202-625-4328.)