Open House scheduled for Will County Drug Court recovery home; Julie Ann House named after county board member, drug court coordinator

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October 24

JOLIET – The public is invited to attend an open house for the Julie Ann House, a new recovery home for people who are nearing completion of the Will County Drug Court Program.

The open house will be held on Friday, October 26th from 10:30 a.m. until noon at the new residence, 311 Lime Street in Joliet. 

The Julie Ann House is named in honor of Ann Dralle, Will County Board Member, and Julie McCabe-Sterr, Will County Drug Court Coordinator. State’s Attorney James Glasgow announced the opening at this month’s Will County Board meeting. 

This is the second recovery home for the Will County Drug Court. In 2010, a recovery home for men was established and named in honor of one of the program’s first graduates, Miller Taylor. The Miller Taylor House was the first recovery home in the United States operated by a drug court program.

In Drug Court, prosecutors and defense attorneys work with the judge and treatment providers to help abusers who have committed non-violent offenses beat their addictions. Those allowed into the program are carefully screened and must remain drug free, submit to random drug tests, find employment, follow through with treatment and attend weekly Drug Court sessions. Circuit Judge Carla Alessio Policandriotes presides over Drug Court.

With two recovery homes open, one will house women and the other will house men.  “Our first recovery home enabled men from the Drug Court program to take control of their lives and reintegrate themselves back into their communities,” said State’s Attorney Glasgow, who spearheaded the creation of the drug court in the 1990s. “The opening of a second home will give the women in our Drug Court a place to complete their journeys toward leading healthy and productive lives.”

House managers will live on site. Those who live in the recovery homes have completed counseling and treatment programs and have been clean for a minimum of six months. Their stay is the final step before they graduate and rejoin the community. Residents are closely monitored and subject to random drug tests multiple times each week. Those who test positive for drug use are removed from the homes immediately.

A plaque to include McCabe-Sterr and Dralle’s names and likenesses will be placed at the entrance to the house. Naming the recovery home after both McCabe-Sterr and Dralle is a way to honor their dedication and tireless work in support of the mission of the Will County Drug Court, said State’s Attorney Glasgow.

McCabe-Sterr has been the Will County Drug Court coordinator since 2004. She has been working to establish recovery homes for Drug Court participants since she took the position.

Dralle was first elected to the Will County Board in 1998 and currently chairs the Judicial Committee, and she vice chairs the Capital Improvements Committee. She also sits on a number of other committees in addition to her extensive work outside of the County Board. Dralle’s support on the County Board was instrumental in the establishment of the recovery homes.No taxpayer funding was used to purchase the homes. The costs, including renovation work, were covered through fees paid to the court by those who were convicted of crimes in Will County.