About Us

In 1972 a recovering alcoholic temporarily housed a friend in a cabin off of U.S. Route 301, about 10 miles south of La Plata.  The friend had an alcoholic drinking pattern and was attempting to quit.  Others in the recovering community volunteered their support and over time other suffering alcoholics used the small building as a "Home on the Road to Recovery."

In 1974, a farmhouse in the Dentsville area was offered, and the Jude House activities moved there.  Volunteers continued to see to the needs of men attempting to stop drinking.

Supporters of the Jude House successfully petitioned the Charles County Government for use of the old Bel Alton School building for their on-going work.  The Jude House opened there in October of 1979.

The Jude House has grown from a strictly volunteer effort to help one man, into an organized program of recovery operated by both professional staff and volunteers to achieve the goals of the program.  The Jude House has responded to the needs of the addicted by offering whatever treatment services appeared to be most needed over the years.

In 1989, a grant made major renovations possible at the Bel Alton location.  In 1992, the Bel Alton building was reopened and the Jude House began its present program -- a nonprofit, long-term, live-in/work-out format.