Open house set at Club Serenity’s new drop-in center

Club Serenity, Inc. will host an open house for its SUD Drop-In Center from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday.

A hot meal. A shower. Clean clothes. A cup of coffee. An address where an important piece of mail can finally arrive.

Or maybe just a couch, a conversation and somewhere safe to spend the afternoon.

None sounds much like substance-use-disorder treatment.

The center grew out of a $1.5 million investment announced by the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs in July 2025 to expand substance-use disorder drop-in services in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The funding, which came in part from Pennsylvania’s share of multi-state opioid settlement funds, was intended to expand services for residents of Washington, Fayette, Greene and Westmoreland counties. Club Serenity was among organizations selected as part of a nearly $20 million statewide investment in SUD drop-in centers. The grants run through June 30, 2027.

The center was created to remove barriers for people affected by substance use and connect them with treatment and recovery services when they want them. But since opening March 23 at 702 Fallowfield Ave., it has also become something broader — a place for someone experiencing homelessness to shower and wash clothes, for families to find support, for teenagers to spend time somewhere safe, for people in long-term recovery to find companionship and for community members who simply don’t want to be alone.

No diagnosis is required to walk through the door. Neither is an appointment, insurance, referral or sobriety.

Someone doesn’t even have to need recovery services.

Dr. Joey Pagano, Club Serenity’s executive director, said about 425 individuals have been served by the center, which typically sees 35 to 40 people each day.

“We’re a low-barrier place where someone can walk in and ask, ‘What do I need today?’” Pagano said. “We’re not a rehab or treatment facility — we help people with immediate needs, recovery support, and connections to care.”

Sometimes that support looks remarkably ordinary.

One afternoon, Club Serenity Supervisor Jodie Pagano stopped what she was doing and looked around.

A group of people were gathered at a table, laughing and talking. Someone else sat on a couch charging a phone, drinking coffee and watching television.

“I remember thinking about how comfortable everyone looked and how much the center felt like a safe, welcoming place for them,” she said.

It also made her wonder where some of those people would have been that afternoon if the Drop-In Center didn’t exist.

On Thursday, Club Serenity wants the rest of the community to walk through its doors and see the answer for themselves.

Opening the doors

Club Serenity will hold an open house from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at the Fallowfield Avenue center.

A ribbon cutting is planned for 10 a.m., followed by presentations from Club Serenity leaders and clients. Visitors can tour the building, meet staff and learn about services including peer support, recovery coaching, case management, transportation assistance, recovery housing navigation, education and referrals.

A complimentary brunch will be provided by Harmony Ridge Recovery Center.

The center will remain open to its regular visitors during the event.

“We want the community to actually see what a Drop-In Center is,” Pagano said. “More importantly, we want people to leave understanding that recovery has many pathways, help can start with something very small, and nobody should have to navigate it alone.”

‘Mon Valley gets forgotten’

Charleroi was a deliberate choice.

Pagano said Club Serenity could have established the center in Washington, where numerous services already exist. Research instead pointed toward a need in the Mon Valley.

“There was a big need right here because I saw this as a medically underserved area,” he said. “There’s not many services.”

Then he put it more plainly. “Mon Valley gets forgotten,” he said.

Club Serenity Board President Mark St. Cyr had already seen gaps in the system through the organization’s three recovery houses in Monessen.

A resident might experience a relapse and no longer be able to remain in recovery housing without potentially jeopardizing others, he explained, yet that person may not meet the criteria for a higher level of treatment.

They still need somewhere to go.

“So how do we help?” St. Cyr recalled.

The Drop-In Center became part of the answer.

Its primary purpose remains connecting people with substance-use disorder treatment and recovery-support services, but the people coming through its doors often have other needs that must be addressed first.

Those needs can be surprisingly basic.

Someone may need food, housing or transportation. Others need help obtaining an identification card, Social Security card or birth certificate.

“To jump through the hoops to do anything, you got to have that,” Pagano said of identification and vital records.

Club Serenity also allows people without permanent housing to receive mail at the center, and St. Cyr is working to develop individual locked mailboxes.

A shower and washer and dryer are available for people experiencing homelessness, along with coffee, water and meals.

Pet food is available, too, as well as toiletries, food and clothing all of which are donated and available on a firstcome, first-served basis for free.

St. Cyr said Club Serenity has seen people decline recovery- housing placements because they could not bring a pet, illustrating how something that may seem small can become a significant barrier for someone trying to regain stability.

Club Serenity has partnered with organizations including the Washington County Humane Society, 412 Food Rescue, Crossroads Treatment Centers and St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Donora to help meet needs in the community.

For Jodie Pagano, the work often comes down to “simply treating them like a person.”

There is no pressure to explain everything immediately or commit to treatment.

“Sometimes people do not need us to immediately fix everything,” she said. “They first need to know that someone sees them, respects them and is willing to meet them where they are.”

If someone does walk in ready for treatment, staff begin working immediately to connect them with an appropriate provider.

If they aren’t ready, Joey Pagano said, that’s OK, too.

“We meet them where they are and keep the door open.”

Somewhere to belong

That open-door philosophy extends beyond people struggling with substance use.

Families can come for information and support even if a loved one isn’t ready for help. People established in long-term recovery come for meetings, companionship or simply to spend time with others.

Teenagers are welcome, too.

Pagano’s 15-year-old adopted brother and his friends spend time at the center, and Club Serenity has helped children with school supplies and clothing.

His mother is another regular visitor.

For Team Lead Martin Puchi, the community that has developed there is part of what makes the center work.

First-time visitors often arrive anxious, uncertain or hesitant, he said. Their guard begins to come down when they realize they are in a place where they won’t be judged.

“For many people, recovery is about more than staying substance-free,” Puchi said. “It is about rebuilding connections, finding community, and having a place where they feel accepted and valued.”

Sometimes a successful day means someone who arrived overwhelmed leaves feeling supported.

Other times, Puchi said, success is simply seeing people sitting together, talking and laughing.

Not giving up

Puchi remembers one visitor who had already been through numerous treatment facilities and was having difficulty finding another program willing to accept him.

Club Serenity staff spent weeks contacting providers and advocating for him.

Eventually, they secured a placement.

Later, staff learned he remained in treatment and was actively engaged.

“It was a reminder that even when someone has been told ‘no’ repeatedly or feels like they have run out of chances, recovery is still possible,” Puchi said.

But progress doesn’t always mean entering treatment.

Sometimes a person thinking about using again comes to the center and talks with staff instead. They work through the moment together, potentially preventing a relapse.

“Sometimes success is simply helping someone get through a difficult day without feeling alone,” Puchi said.

Joey Pagano measures success just as broadly.

“Success isn’t the same for everyone,” he said. “Sometimes it’s entering treatment. Sometimes it’s getting an ID, finding housing, accepting Narcan, or simply coming back tomorrow.”

The organization is also continuing to develop the Fallowfield Avenue building, including a Family and Peer Engagement Center supported by a Staunton Farm Foundation grant and “Meg’s Room,” a quiet space where someone can step away from a group or meeting and collect their thoughts.

Thursday’s open house will give visitors a look at those spaces, too.

The Drop-In Center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except major holidays.

For someone nervous about walking in for the first time, Puchi’s advice is simple.

“Grab a cup of coffee, get something to eat, have a conversation, and see what we’re about,” he said.

“The hardest part is showing up, and we do everything we can to make people feel welcome when they do.”

For more information, call 724-565-5219 or 724797-2221, email Jrpagano@ clubserenity.org or

visit clubserenityinc.com.