The groundwork for New House was laid in 1949, when National Council on Alcoholism founder Marty Mann met with recovering alcoholics in Santa Barbara. That effort led to the formation of the Santa Barbara Committee on Alcoholism, whose early leaders included James Lamb Free Sr., John B. Morse, Mildred “Millie” Pinheiro, and Elmo Little. Their work helped shift local thinking away from punishment and toward recovery.

In the early 1950s, Santa Barbara still lacked adequate local resources for people trying to get sober. Elmo Little and his sister Peggy Scudelari often drove struggling alcoholics to San Bernardino because the nearest workable residential option was hours away. That reality helped shape the vision for a local house where men could live safely, stay sober, attend meetings, share chores, and return to work.

New House opened in May 1955 at 509 Chapala Street. The original house had previously been used as a French restaurant, which left it with a commercial kitchen and dining space well suited for group living. From the start, the house was open to men from different backgrounds. Residents were expected to stay free of alcohol and other mood-altering drugs, attend meetings, help with chores, and begin supporting themselves as soon as they were able.

Demand came quickly. An eight-bed dorm was added in 1957, and the neighboring house at 505 Chapala was purchased in 1958. Together, those additions expanded capacity to 33 beds and helped New House become financially self-supporting. The two Chapala Street properties were later designated Santa Barbara City Landmarks.

New House took another major step in 1974, when it separated from the National Council on Alcoholism and established its own nonprofit corporation. A few years later, New House expanded again by taking over the former county detox center on North San Antonio Road. That site became the first New House II, proving that the same peer-led model could work beyond the original Chapala Street home.

“What many alcoholics need in Santa Barbara is a new house on a new street in a new city for a newfound recovery.” — Elmo Little

• 1949: Santa Barbara Committee on Alcoholism forms after Marty Mann meets with local recovering alcoholics.
• 1955: New House opens at 509 Chapala Street for men seeking sobriety.
• 1957: An eight-bed dorm is added to handle growing demand.
• 1958: The neighboring property at 505 Chapala is purchased and added as the annex.
• 1974: New House becomes an independent California nonprofit corporation.
• 1977–1978: The former county detox center on North San Antonio Road becomes the first New House II.

The New House history identifies Casa Serena as New House’s sister house and notes that it opened its doors to alcoholic women in 1959 at 1515 Bath Street. The same broader Santa Barbara recovery movement that helped establish New House also helped create Casa Serena as a place specifically for women.

Casa Serena’s current organization history credits Mildred Pinheiro as a primary force behind its founding. According to Casa Serena, she wanted to open the home because there was no place in Santa Barbara for a woman alcoholic to go for help. The organization later became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 1973.

Today, Casa Serena describes itself as a nonprofit women’s treatment center in Santa Barbara that provides a continuum of care that includes detox, residential treatment, outpatient services, aftercare, and sober and supportive living. The organization also states that it has been serving women in Santa Barbara for more than 60 years.

That longer arc matters. Casa Serena began as a local answer to an obvious gap in care for women, and it has evolved into a larger women-centered recovery organization while remaining tied to its historic Santa Barbara roots on Bath Street.

• 1959: Casa Serena opens at 1515 Bath Street to serve alcoholic women in Santa Barbara.
• 1973: Casa Serena becomes a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
• Today: Casa Serena provides women-focused treatment and recovery services in Santa Barbara.