‘A place to heal’: New Minnesota sober house opens for veterans with PTSD

WINNEBAGO, MINN. – On the day he lost his legs in a bomb blast in Afghanistan, Jack Zimmerman said he felt helpless. But then his buddies ran to his side, risking their lives to save his.

Zimmerman said he hopes a sober house that opened Wednesday outside Winnebago can provide similar lifesaving support for veterans fighting their own battles with addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Organizers for Bravo Zulu House, about 28 miles south of Mankato, said they hope to help veterans stay sober and treat their PTSD.

“We’ve lost so many people unnecessarily since the war’s been over to suicide,” Zimmerman said at the opening for Bravo Zulu House. “With places like this, guys can have a place to heal.”

On average, 17.6 U.S. veterans die by suicide each day, according to the latest figures from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Veterans sometimes feel like they’re not understood by their nonmilitary peers and counselors while in sober houses, said Mike McLaughlin, head of Blue Earth County Veterans Services.

Many veterans struggle “trying to find that new normal and that new network while they’re trying to navigate sobriety,” McLaughlin said. “And so to have a unified location where they’re surrounded by other veterans is just going to only help.”

Work on the site began with a groundbreaking last year. The first residents are expected around June 20, and visitors from a crowd of about 300 people walked through rooms where construction has not been completed.

When it’s finished, Bravo Zulu House will accommodate 13 residents, said Tim Murray, executive director of Bravo Zulu House as well as Trinity Sober Homes, the faith-based sober-house network that will run the Winnebago site. Each resident will have their own room, Murray said.

The house will be staffed by a round-the-clock live-in house manager and a full-time case manager who works during the day, Murray said.

All staff will be trained to use Narcan, a lifesaving medicine that rapidly reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, Murray said.

Mayo Clinic will provide outpatient alcohol and drug treatment services at the house, as well as individual counseling, group therapy and medication-assisted treatment, said Dr. Karthik Ghosh, one of the speakers at the opening ceremony and vice president of Mayo Clinic Health System-Minnesota.

“Mayo Health System believes in the Bravo Zulu House,” Ghosh said. “It will be a vital resource offering a safe and supportive environment where our veterans can heal and rebuild their lives.”

Bravo Zulu House will also have faith-based coaching, interaction with rescue dogs, hydroponic farming and assistance with job placement, Murray said.

Rent is $600 per month for private rooms and the men are expected to work part-time jobs for 20 to 30 hours each week as part of their stay. Murray said he expects residents to stay an average of 18 months.

Murray also has plans to build a veterans sober home for women.

He said Bravo Zulu will be affiliated with the Minnesota Association of Sober Homes (MASH), an industry group that maintains safety and ethical guidelines for its members.

The group has drawn criticism for opposing the sort of state licensing standards and inspections that apply to other facilities in Minnesota that house vulnerable adults.

Murray said Bravo Zulu House will have the right to evict residents who relapse. “We think that everybody in a sober house ought to be sober,” he said.

Zimmerman, the veterans advocate, said he hopes the house will be one of many nationwide. He wants veterans struggling with addiction and PTSD to get another chance the way he did after his injury in 2011.

“Just because you go to Bravo Zulu House doesn’t mean you’re going to make it, but it’s a symbol of opportunity,” Zimmerman said in a speech before the opening. “It makes us realize we’re not forgotten.”