Magdalen House Opens New Men’s Detox Facility With a Little Help From Stager Karen Otto

A new Magdalen House facility on Caddo Street offers a no-cost two-week social detoxification program for men suffering from alcoholism — and it was important to the nonprofit organization’s leaders that it be safe, comfortable, and feel like a real home.

Enter Karen Otto and Home Star Staging. 

Otto met Magdalen House Women’s Coordinator Ashleigh Castleberry through Camp Bow Wow, where Otto’s rescue pup Ginger attended and Castleberry worked at the time. Ginger was shuffled through three different foster homes and two failed adoptions before the Ottos adopted her late last year. 

“Ashleigh shared with me the mission of The Magdalen House before she left [Camp Bow Wow],” Otto said. “So a pup needing rescue was the catalyst for our company to get involved in the opening of the men’s house. People and places connect, and it really all started with a dog.”

Founded in 1987 by four female alcoholics, The Magdalen House, lovingly referred to as “Maggie’s” by residents and volunteers, helps individuals achieve sobriety and sustain recovery at no cost. 

When Otto heard that Maggie’s was opening its first men’s facility, she couldn’t think of a better cause to support. 

“I’ve got a loved one in treatment,” she told CandysDirt.com. “It spoke to my heart. My husband and I are business partners, and our business is to make a house look like a home. People in recovery deserve the same dignity as anyone else. We felt like God was calling us to do this. Until you’ve walked in the shoes of someone who has gone through something, whether it be cancer or addiction, it’s not on your radar. So many of us have loved ones who are in treatment.” 

Making The Magdalen House a Home

Otto, who has staged homes in Dallas-Fort Worth for 18 years, said her husband became her business partner about 10 years ago. 

They’ve worked with Habitat for Humanity and women’s shelters. The furnishings are usually hand-me-downs or garage sale finds and often have a “hodge-podgey” look, she said.

“Things don’t match and it feels disjointed,” Otto said. “You know when you walk into a space and it doesn’t feel homey or comfortable? We didn’t want that for Maggie’s. And at the end of the year, we get so much of our inventory back, and it’s all gently used. We couldn’t think of a better possible use for it.”

The Ottos furnished the entire downstairs of the Caddo Street property and even purchased a new dining room table and chairs because they didn’t already have a set of 16. The donated furniture and crew labor is valued at about $10,000. 

“It was a gift for us to be able to do this,” Otto said. “Truth be told, I feel better about this than the actual paid work that we do. I feel blessed that we were able to give back in this way. It was nothing that we’ll miss.” 

Beds were donated by Plano-based Bed Start, and in true stager fashion, Otto made sure the linens were steamed and the home looked inviting for a Jan. 10 open house event. 

Magdalen House is leasing the five-bedroom, five-bath property and opened to new clients Tuesday. 

“We wanted it to be like an industrial farmhouse, kind of a cabin-y, rustic vibe,” Otto said. “We wanted it to be masculine because it’s men who will live there.”

The Magdalen House 

Magdalen House Chief Community Officer Kady Younkman lost a father and brother to addiction and knows the value of offering 12-step treatment free of charge. 

“They didn’t have the education or the resources,” she said of her family members who suffered in silence for years. “It’s close to my heart because I’m a person in recovery. If I’d known about Maggie’s House, I think maybe I would have gotten sober sooner.” 

As for the furnishings, Younkman said, “We’re obsessed with Karen Otto.” 

Maggie’s CEO Lisa Kroencke said her team considered several properties and she saw the “for lease” sign on Caddo Street while driving through the neighborhood. The Magdalen House’s women’s facility is just a few miles away on Gaston Avenue. 

“For me, the need for a men’s house was twofold: personal and professional,” Kroencke said. “I have a son in recovery. There was no community for him to be a part of. I am also constantly asked, ‘Is there a place for men?’” 

Director of Men’s Programs Austin Shook, who will lead the recovery efforts at the new men’s facility, told CandysDirt.com he had a “revolutionary spiritual experience” when he got sober in 2017. 

“I became heavily involved in the recovery community and found a mentor who was a leader in the for-profit recovery field,” Shook said. “Fast-forward six years when I had been working my way up in for-profit recovery, and day in, day out, my heart was broken that there was no way to help people without money. Lisa was looking for a man to lead the men’s program and my name came up. I’d been praying and meditating on this for months. It was a dream come true. It was an answer to prayer.” 

Visit The Magdalen House website for donation and volunteer opportunities.