Felicity House On a quiet corner in a nondescript part of West Los Angeles stands a two-story Victorian house that blends in with the other homes in this working-class neighborhood. A white picket fence surrounds a yard filled with birds of paradise, elephant palms, and geraniums, adding to the cozy anonymity. For the residents, however, Felicity House is unlike any home they have experienced.

This is Felicity House, where women recover from lives torn apart by alcohol and drug abuse.

Felicity House was established in 1974 by a group of concerned citizens at a time when there were only a handful of alcohol recovery facilities in the entire nation and almost none offering help exclusively to women. It remains one of the few affordable women’s recovery homes in West Los Angeles.

As a non-profit organization, Felicity House offers up to 9 women at a time a safe, long-term, structured environment away from the stresses and triggers that make staying sober so difficult in early recovery.

Felicity House uses peer group support, one-on-one guidance, and a 12-step philosophy to help residents gain a firm foundation in recovery. Curfews, required 12-step meetings, chores, and goal-setting help the women cope with the chaos their chemically dependent lifestyles have wrought. Without these tools and this safe haven, the difficulty of job re-entry, personal, financial, and legal problems, and the hardship of mental, physical, and emotional abuse, both self-inflicted and otherwise, might overwhelm them, leading them back to alcohol and drugs.

With a 49-year track record of success, Felicity House has seen plenty of miracles. Every Wednesday evening, Felicity House alumnae and recovery community members gather at a weekly 12-step meeting and share their stories of hope with the new women in the house.

Hundreds of women have experienced the miracle of this unique place, this anonymous haven: Felicity House.