Riverside House has been honored with recognition from national, state, and local government officials, including:
Former President of the United States- Former Governor of the State of Florida
- Member of Congress
- Member of Congress representing Miami
- Former Mayor of Miami-Dade County
-
Finalist, Cleveland Bell III Riverside House's Executive Director -
Recipient, Riverside House (from former local Miami Christian Radio Station, 89.7 Spirit FM) -
Awarded two years in a row by Alex Penelas (former Mayor of Miami Dade County) and Raul Martinez (former Mayor of Hialeah) -
Finalist, Cleveland Bell III Riverside House's Executive Director -
Finalist, Riverside House's Primary Care Program -
Recipient, Cleveland Bell III Riverside House's Executive Director
Check Out Our Newsletter!
Our History
In 1972, Captain Andy Mathieu, a Navy and Coast Guard Veteran, and friend, Ed Dodson, managed an alcoholic rehabilitation center. This enterprise operated as an outreach of the Riverside United Methodist Church. Within eighteen months it evolved into a larger outreach becoming the first in the nation to experiment with the rehabilitation of ex-offenders.
"Rehabilitation with Dignity" was a dream of Roberto Perez, a lay preacher; Reverend O. Dean Martin, Pastor of the Riverside United Methodist Church; and Jack Sandstrom, Director of the Dade Community Correction and Rehabilitation Department. Together, they envisioned a halfway house that offered the means for those with a first-time offense the opportunity to rebuild their lives. In addition, they desired to establish an environment with caring people as a replacement for the hardened atmosphere ex-offenders were accustomed to.
Charles Babcock, Jr., a committed Christian, respected businessman and civic leader, felt called by God to help establish this residential center. He leased the apartment house directly behind the church to Riverside House for $1 a year. This was leased to establish the residential center. Jim Wiegrefe, then Executive Director, rendered a most important service to the program. He circulated a petition throughout the neighborhood requesting a zoning change for a halfway house. Since he was a man much loved and admired by the community, his petition was widely supported. The Zoning Board granted the change, and Riverside House came into official existence. In the fall of 1973, it opened as a joint project of Riverside United Methodist Church and the Dade County Correction and Rehabilitation Department. A grant from the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration provided the finances to maintain this program for the first two years of operation.
Cleveland Bell III became Executive Director of Riverside House in July of 1977. As a former ex-offender, Mr. Bell was no stranger to the feelings of frustration, anger, and rebellion often felt by those with similar backgrounds. Through the continuous outpouring of Mr. Bell's personal life experiences with fellow men and women, and, the dedicated, hard work of staff and Board members, the ministry of Riverside House has reached thousands of ex-offenders through jail groups, out-client participation, prison outreach, and inner-city activities.
In 1989, Riverside House expanded its services to include a co-educational program, thus accepting its first female resident. In December of 1994, Riverside House added the Primary Care Substance Abuse Program that operated, over the course of 12 years, as a 31-bed alcohol treatment facility. In February of 1998, the Residential Substance Abuse Program for "Mariel" Cuban INS Detainees began and assisted many residents until (year?) when the program ended.
Today, Riverside House is a private, non-profit organization that has been successfully operating as a coed community residential reentry facility for over 35 years.
