Fresh start offered for men battling addiction

First Step Recovery Homes in McKeesport promotes a “holistic approach” to getting clean.

By VICKIE BABYAK
McKeesport Community Newsroom

Many years ago, Keith Giles from Duquesne was a young man in a dangerous cycle of dependency. When he became a father, everything changed. “I was caught up in addiction and got clean for my son, so he wouldn’t follow the same path, and I wanted to help others overcome as I did,” Giles said.

Giles is the founder and CEO of First Step Recovery Homes Inc., which for 32 years has provided safe, drug-free and alcohol-free housing and supportive recovery services for men battling addiction and substance abuse.

Over the decades, Giles and the First Step staff have developed a program based on the understanding that it takes more than short-term rehabilitation to recover from drug and alcohol addiction.

“It takes a holistic approach to recover from the disease,” he said.

Located at 330 and 360 Penny St. in McKeesport, First Step serves clients who live in McKeesport and communities throughout Allegheny County. Since its founding in 1992, First Step has grown to 50 employees including staff, clinicians and other professionals.

Recovery services provided include bridge housing, drug and alcohol addiction counseling, family reunification, case management, 12-step fellowship meetings, HIV/ AIDS testing and life-skills education.

Housing programs specifically target adult males with a history of substance abuse. A stay can last a year to 18 months.

To meet growing needs, Giles said First Step recently expanded to another building on Olive Street in McKeesport. The plan is to more than double housing capacity from approximately 23 to 52 clients.

Addiction is a complicated disease, but it can be controlled with the correct resources and a nurturing environment, recovery experts contend.

“Addiction is a brain disorder, and many people fall into it as a result of an attempt to treat pain,” Judith Wilson, a First Step case manager, said in an e-mail interview. “This pain can be physical, emotional or spiritual.”

People with mental health disorders are at risk for abusing drugs or alcohol to help cope with their symptoms. Substance abuse can cause life changes that may lead to long-term distress or a fatal overdose and contribute to mental health issues.

Wilson said some people get hooked on prescribed medication, which often leads them to abuse street drugs. Regardless of how they came to addiction, they are seeking peace.

“The biggest barrier of addiction is the inability to change, and one must replace the way they think in order to change their behavior,” she said.

Giles said it was his dream when he initiated the program to provide assistance to primarily African-American men caught up in addiction. Now the organization’s clientele is comprised of approximately 70% white men. Residents in zip code 15132, a prominent part of McKeesport, suffered about 5.3 overdoses per 1,000 people in 2023, according to official Allegheny County data. Black individuals overdosed at a rate of about 7.2 per 1,000 residents, and white individuals at about 8.5 per 1,000 residents. These overdoses disproportionately included men and most affected those between ages 35 and 44.

The organization has a vision for every person who participates in the program to re-enter society with confidence, self-esteem and spiritual awareness. First Step encourages their clients to fulfill their creativity and to recognize their personal power and purpose.

“Every one person we save is a victory for all recovering addicts,” First Step Executive Director Keenon Mikell said.

As part of the education and training it provides to clients, everyone has an opportunity to work their way into a leadership role at First Step, such as house manager. A successful graduate could be hired as a part-time case manager for the organization, Mikell said.

Kevin Moon of McKeesport is in recovery and is a successful participant in the First Step program. He is on track to be employed as a part-time case manager, and said he feels wonderful about his progress. He believes the program has saved his life.

“I appreciate the opportunity to live my goals and help other people,” Moon said.

Writer and photographer Vickie Babyak lives in Dravosburg with her husband Bob and is a paraprofessional at McKeesport Area High School. Babyak is a member of Tube City Writers, a program of the McKeesport Community Newsroom, an initiative of the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University.