About this Recovery Home
Next Step Housing - 2900 Powerhouse Road is a coed sober living residence in Yakima, Washington, in Yakima County. It is one of several alcohol and drug-free locations the nonprofit runs across the Yakima Valley, part of a housing portfolio built specifically for people who need a clean and stable address to hold onto their recovery.
A Coed Sober Living Address in Yakima
This Yakima recovery residence houses men and women together under one roof, which is less common than a single-gender sober house and works because Next Step Housing pairs it with a clear behavioral standard instead of a gender rule. Powerhouse Road sits in the industrial and light-commercial corridor east of downtown, within reach of the retail and warehouse jobs that make up a large share of entry-level work in the valley.
Zero-Tolerance Sober Living Since 1991
Next Step Housing has run alcohol and drug-free housing in the Yakima Valley since 1991, and it enforces that standard with monthly drug and breathalyzer testing instead of a written pledge alone. That distinguishes this recovery home from ordinary rental housing: a resident who uses is tested and held to the policy, and everyone else in the building is living under the same rule. For someone rebuilding trust with family or a probation officer, a tested household is easier to point to than an honor system.
Yakima Valley Recovery Housing for Special Needs Populations
The nonprofit's mission is broader than any one address: quality, affordable, alcohol and drug-free housing for special needs populations across the Yakima Valley, including people exiting homelessness and people with developmental disabilities alongside residents in recovery. Across its portfolio of more than two hundred units, Next Step Housing mixes studio, one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom configurations, which lets a household size, not just an individual, find a fit.
Living in Yakima County
Yakima is the county seat and the commercial center of Yakima County, and Powerhouse Road residents are a short drive from the county's courts, its largest employers and its outpatient treatment providers. That concentration matters for anyone juggling a court date, a treatment appointment and a job in the same week, which is the ordinary week for someone new to sober housing in this part of the state.
Applying to This Sober House
Applications go through Next Step Housing directly. Because the organization operates housing beyond recovery-specific units, an applicant should confirm which program a given address falls under, what the testing schedule requires, and whether the unit is intended for an individual or a household before applying.
About Next Step Sober Living Housing- Pear Tree Place I, Yakima, Washington
8 ones, 7 twos, and 11 three-bedrooms
Single adults with established sobriety
Small and large families with established sobriety
 Housing / Awards
In 2015, Next Step Housing's (NSH) Pear Tree Place Apartments received the National Community of Quality Award for Exemplary Development for People with Special Needs from the National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA);
Also in 2015, Keith Erickson, Maintenance Co-Superintendent, received the Maintenance Person of the Year Award from the Affordable Housing Management Association of Washington (AHMA-WA);
In 2013, Michael Ryckman, Maintenance Co-Superintendent, received the 2013 Success Story of the Year Award from AHMA-WA. This was the first award of its kind inspired by Mr. Ryckman's career with NSH;
In 2011, the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance presented NSH with the 2011 Movement Building Award for exemplary affordable housing advocacy;
In 2008, Diana McClaskey, NSH's Deputy Director, received the Community Hero Award for homeless advocacy services from the Washington State Coalition for the Homeless;
Also in 2008, Connie Cleary, NSH's Asset Manager, received the Site Manager of the Year Award from AHMA-WA;
Again that year, AHMA-WA also presented John Mifsud, NSH's Executive Director, with their 2008 Pioneer in Affordable Housing Award;
In 2007, NSH was awarded the Washington State Housing Finance Commission Friend of Housing Award;
In 2004, the NAHMA honored the Sommerset Apartments and NSH with the National Community of Quality Award for Outstanding Turnaround of a Troubled Property;
In 1997, NSH won the National Tax Credit Housing Coalition Award for Excellence
STAFF
John Mifsud (since June 1995)
Executive Director
Mr. Mifsud is celebrating 22 years as Executive Director of NSH. He has over 40 years of program design, implementation and management experience as well as 35 years of experience in property management and development in the private, non-profit and public sectors. A long-term housing advocate for people with special needs, Mr. Mifsud developed the first affordable, independent clean and sober housing units for families with children in the State of Washington. Mr. Mifsud has managed portfolios of 800+ units in four states including commercial properties and tax credit developments. A Certified Families for Self-Sufficiency Specialist, Mr. Mifsud also designed and supervised on-site case management services for a diversity of special needs populations in Washington. Currently, Mr. Mifsud manages all staff as well as finances, fundraising, land acquisition, new developments and major capital improvements for NSH.
Diana McClaskey (since March 2002)
Deputy Director
Pear Tree Place
Ms. McClaskey reached sobriety in October 2001 and moved into an NSH property in November of that year. She became the House Manager in March of 2002. She has dedicated herself to NSH and has managed every property in our portfolio. Diana is also the Resident Manager and Case Management Supervisor for Pear Tree Place I, II & III. Ms. McClaskey supervises a staff of six employees for NSH and has full responsibility for all leasing, rent collection, compliance, income certifications and resident files. As Deputy Director, she supervises all on-site management and maintenance staff.
Keith Erickson (since January 2010)
Maintenance Superintendent
Mr. Erickson shares the title of NSH Maintenance Superintendent with Mike Ryckman. Keith became sober in 2007 and has been working with NSH since 2010. He is active in the Yakima Narcotics Anonymous community. Keith says, “Working with people in recovery is really a dream come true for me. I love that I am on staff at Next Step. Being of service to my community helps keeps me clean and sober.â€
Rigoberto Dominguez (since April 2013)
Case Manager
Mr. Dominguez originally came to NSH as a resident in 2010. In 2012, he began working for NSH as a People 4 People intern through their Parents Work First Program. He was hired as a Case Manager to work with homeless veterans at Pear Tree Place III in 2013. He received his Associates of Applied Science in Chemical Dependency Counseling from Yakima Valley Community College in 2012 and completed his Bachelor of Science in Religion in 2012. Mr. Dominguez is bilingual and bicultural and also works for Yakima Memorial Hospital as a Chaplin focused on hospice and end of life care services. He sits on the hospital's Ethics Committee and Critical Incidents Team and is curren
Josh Shay (since January 2019)
Maintenance Specialist
Mr. Shay joined the NSH Maintenance Team after working as the Yakima Superior Court Community Service Supervisor. He worked with a range of Drug Court clients who helped the elderly with yard work and painted over graffiti throughout the City. More recently, he was also the Yakima County Juvenile Justice Restorative Community Service Leader where he coordinated young people doing community service at the Union Gospel Mission kitchen as well as cleaning up Yakima parks, lakes and streams.
