Restoring History. Restoring Lives.
Specialty Contractor Draws on Personal Experience to Build Recovery Communities for Addicts
Ray Adamyk began working in construction with his uncle when he was only 15 years old. Those early experiences helped fuel his passion to start his own company less than 10 years later. Business experience, a sense of greater purpose, and an inspirational trip to California to train for a triathlon led Adamyk to found Spectra Co. in 1985. It has since become the largest construction company of its kind on the West Coast.
Based in Pomona, California, Spectra specializes in historic restoration, preservation and conservation projects throughout southern California. For Adamyk, President of Spectra, communities have the power to change lives—and historic structures are the key to defining and preserving the character and legacies of individual communities. This philosophy permeates the company’s culture and Adamyk’s mission “to revitalize and preserve our heritage for generations to come.”
His success with Spectra enables Adamyk to give back to his community. He recognizes the important roles that his faith and the community played in his personal journey to substance abuse recovery. During this time Adamyk learned the hard truth that many men—homeless and without stable places to live—were hugely disadvantaged in putting their lives back together. So, three years ago, he used his business acumen to found a nonprofit called “Homes of Promise” to provide sober homes for men recovering from drug and alcohol addictions.
From House to Home: Izzy’s Place
The idea for Homes of Promise was born when Adamyk met the late Hussem “Izzy” Farrach at a 12-step Celebrate Recovery meeting. The two became fast friends and realized that they shared a “burning desire” to help other men recovering from substance abuse. After developing a plan to provide safe, Christian housing for these individuals, they founded the 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit with Adamyk serving as the Executive Director and Farrach—clean and sober for the last 15 years—working as the intake manager of their first home, which was established in La Verne, California.
“Older homes are generally large and lend themselves to being renovated to a group community home,” says Adamyk. “They are usually in well-established neighborhoods and provide a stable environment for the residents. They give many the feeling of going back to grandma’s—a big, comfortable home where they can feel free to be their best selves.”
Farrach served as the Intake Manager for the La Verne home from January 2013 until he passed away in September 2014. The La Verne home is named in his honor.
Izzy’s Place: La Verne
When Adamyk found an Edwardian Craftsman house on a half acre in La Verne, he knew it was the perfect location for the first Homes of Promise site.
The renovated 4,000-square-foot home accommodates up to 20 residents. Most individuals are encouraged to stay for one year to improve their long-term recoveries. Living alongside other men working to get their lives back on track helps foster the community spirit that Adamyk believes is essential to successful physical, emotional, mental—and often spiritual—restoration.
Another Home, Another Country
Next, Adamyk purchased a 1907 vintage Craftsman-style home in a safe, established neighborhood in Ontario to serve as the second Homes of Promise, which houses 17 men. The Ontario home showcases another individual’s success. Jason Diaz abused drugs and alcohol for years, supporting his addiction by stealing and selling drugs. “By some miracle I graduated from high school,” says Diaz. “But once out, I also graduated to stronger drugs and bigger crimes.” After a period of incarceration, he found Izzy’s Place and became the second individual to complete the yearlong program. Diaz quickly got to know Adamyk and calls him “a friend, mentor and shining example of how to live a sober, Christian way of life.” Diaz is now the Assistant Manager of the La Verne home and the current Manager of the Ontario home.
Architectural Preservation Restores Community
The craftspeople who built so many of our historic treasures are long gone, but Spectra is building a new community dedicated to accurate restoration and preservation. The company teaches employees the skills required for proper historic restoration and now has 100 people trained in a number of crafts. For example, Spectra staff learned how to replicate grotesques (stone sculptures commonly seen in early 20th century architecture) and even won an award for the re-creation of these carved creatures in a complex restoration of the Villa Riviera, a vintage high-rise in Long Beach, California.
There aren’t any grotesques at Izzy’s Place, but—just as it takes a community to restore a building—it takes a community to bring people back to their true selves.
At Homes of Promise, the men learn a new way to live and thrive. Each home is affiliated with a Christian- based church and residents are required to work or actively seek work, participate in group activities in the home, participate in 12-step programs, meet regularly with sponsors for accountability, and agree to regular drug testing.
The men also help maintain the homes, often putting more care into the upkeep of these dwellings because they understand and appreciate the long history of the abodes, and the cultural significance of these places relative to surrounding neighborhoods. Thus far, more than 40 men have participated in Homes of Promise programs—and each person is a step closer to becoming an asset to their families and to others seeking recovery.
“Our goal is to have 10 Homes of Promise by 2018. I’d like to see the day when every church in America has an associated recovery home.” Ray Adamyk, Owner and President, Spectra Co.
The first “graduate” of Izzy’s Place in La Verne, Paul R., says that he had been in and out of recovery for many years without success of continued sobriety. He credits Adamyk with helping him finally achieve sobriety. “At first, I didn’t want to follow any of the rules,” says Paul, “but Ray would sit with each of us, and he listened without judgment. That was instrumental in helping me see how doing what was required—and following a Christian way of life—was what I needed to succeed.”
Lofty Business Goals…and a Higher Calling
Adamyk now devotes about 70 percent of his time to working in his business—and the rest to Homes of Promise projects and ministrations. He also continues to set ambitious goals for himself. “Our goal is to have 10 Homes of Promise by 2018. I’d like to see the day when every church in America has an associated recovery home,” he shares.
This company leader’s goals for Spectra are similarly ambitious, with his ultimate desire being to restore the White House. Until then, Adamyk won’t drag his feet to help rehabilitate communities of addicts who just need a foot in the door to internal restoration. He plans to take things one step at a time.