About Us

Friendly House, established in 1951, was the first home for women in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction in the United States. It was, and is, a model for recovery homes throughout the United States and Europe. Friendly House has provided services for thousands of women with a success rate of over 76%, compared to the hospital average of 35%.

In March of 1951, Friendly House was born and today celebrates 58 years of service. It all started with a dream . . and Bea Jorgensen.

Bea Jorgensen was known as the life of the party and struggled with her alcoholism for many years. Her sister, also an alcoholic, encouraged her to attend AA meetings. When she was hospitalized for the third time, Bea promised God that if she got sober she would do whatever she could to help alcoholic women. Upon leaving the hospital, Bea got in touch with AA and gradually committed herself to the recovery process. She then went on to establish the first recovery home for women alcoholics in the United States.

Bea wanted to create a home where women could feel safe, a home where they would be loved unconditionally while they learned to love themselves. She started by going to the Los Angeles County Jail to visit women incarcerated there. At first she met resistance from the sheriff’s department, but gradually through persistence and demonstrated success, she won the department’s support.

Upon getting permission to continue her work, Bea set up weekly group meetings at the jail. But once the women left jail, they often had no place to go and fell back into their old habits. Bea realized that they needed a place to stay and to continue their recovery plan. And out of this need, Friendly House was born.

Bea raised money to support the house from friends in the community. Contributions were raised on a month-to-month basis – even day to day. Gradually through support from the community, local foundations, and fundraising events, Friendly House found itself on a firmer financial foundation.

The original house was located in downtown Los Angeles. A few years later, the Weingart Foundation gave Friendly House an interest-free loan to buy the current house on Normandie in the Mid-Wilshire district. Normandie House is a seven-bedroom home built in the early 1900s with a two-bedroom cottage behind the main house. The house can accommodate up to 16 women.

Bea’s success did not go unnoticed. In 1982, Carol Burnett played Bea in the movie Life of the Party: The story of Beatrice, which was based on Bea’s life and the founding of Friendly House. The movie co-starred Lloyd Bridges and was written by Mitzi and Ken Welch. Ms. Burnett was nominated for a Golden Globe award for best actress. In 1990, Friendly House recognized Ms. Burnett and former first lady Betty Ford for their efforts on behalf of the recovery community at its annual awards luncheon.

It was Bea’s constant desire and second dream come true to be able to leave Friendly House in the hands of someone who shared her love and dedication to its continuing efforts. That person would be Peggy Albrecht. Peggy joined the staff of Friendly House in 1983. For the next three years, Bea and Peggy worked together, sharing a mutual love and respect for one another. They shared the dream of Friendly House and the work that was to continue. A former resident once wrote of a conversation that she had with Bea about Friendly House and its future. Bea felt that she could now die in peace for she knew that God had found the woman to carry on her work and that Peggy was that woman. Bea’s second dream was indeed fulfilled.

When Peggy joined the staff, she did not expect to stay for 26 years nor did she know she would find work in the recovery community to be her true vocation. She applied for the Executive Director position at Friendly House on the recommendation of her AA sponsor and when she accepted the job she planned to stay for six months.

Like Bea, Peggy is a recovering alcoholic. She has brought to Friendly House the same guiding force that Bea had – courage and caring and more caring and still more caring. Peggy says that if she had not taken the opportunity presented to her “I would have missed out on the richest, most fulfilling experience of my life.” That doesn’t mean the experience was without challenges. At the time, Board members volunteered to do the house sitting. There was no manual - Peggy just figured out what was the right thing to do as she went along.

And figure it out she did. Under Peggy’s loving guidance, Friendly House has grown in stature, strength, and reputation into two thriving residential homes. .

In 2001, another dream was realized when Friendly House opened a new house to provide beds for 11 additional women. The William Shatner Family Foundation dedicated a second home in memory of his late wife, Nerine Shatner. The Nerine Shatner House, located on Castle Heights in the Westside of Los Angeles, is a five-bedroom 1930s era home.

Friendly House is not a traditional treatment center. It is a unique place because of the personal attention that each woman receives. Each woman is treated as an individual. Peggy and the Friendly House staff reach out with kindness and understanding. For many women, Friendly House offers the first opportunity to learn about hope and to live in dignity. The philosophy of the house is to love each woman unconditionally until she can learn how to love herself.

The goals of Friendly House are simple: to achieve a stabilized recovery from addiction, renew family relationships, and reintegrate into the community. With powerful methods and caring commitment, Friendly Hose helps women recover with dignity and purpose in every facet of their lives.

Bea Jorgensen had a dream and through her tireless efforts, the constancy and courage of her convictions and a bountiful heart, that dream became a reality. Peggy Albrecht accepted the challenge to continue that dream. She has provided the vision and leadership to begin a new dream, one that would take Friendly House to a new level and position it for even more successes as it entered a new century.