Land Use & Development Committee forwards Women’s Residential Recovery Center

Will County Land Use & Development Committee Meeting | December 2025

Article Summary: The Will County Land Use and Development Committee unanimously recommended approval for a new women-specific residential rehabilitation facility in Joliet Township. The facility, which will be located at the site of a former bar and adult entertainment venue, aims to address a critical shortage of gender-specific addiction treatment options.

Joliet Recovery Center Key Points:

• Location: 111 Patterson Road, Joliet (Formerly “The Cellar” and “Club 99”).

• The Plan: A 13-bed, inpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility exclusively for women.

• Operations: The facility will be staffed 24/7, serving medically stable patients who voluntarily choose the program.

• Zoning: Map amendment from C-4 (Highway Commercial) to R-5 (Multi-Family Residential) and a special use permit.

The Will County Land Use and Development Committee on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, voted 6-0 to recommend approval for a new inpatient rehabilitation facility dedicated exclusively to women.

The project, led by Dr. Bipin Sharma of Existential Counselors Society (ECS), involves renovating an existing commercial building at 111 Patterson Road in Joliet Township. The site, previously known as “The Cellar” and “Club 99,” was once an adult entertainment facility.

Dr. Sharma told the committee that the expansion responds to urgent pleas from local hospitals, crisis teams, and law enforcement regarding the lack of residential treatment options for women in Will County that accept Medicaid.

“Women experience addiction differently than men,” Sharma said. “They often carry higher rates of trauma, domestic violence histories, [and] child custody pressures… A woman-specific environment provides safety with peers who understand their lived experiences.”

Dr. Mary White, a board-certified mental health coach and minister, provided powerful testimony in support of the project. White shared her own story of overcoming childhood trauma, addiction, and homelessness, crediting a similar women’s halfway house for saving her life decades ago.

“I am just one of many resilient women who have profoundly benefited… and is flourishing from a women’s residential facility,” White said. “This site was previously a place where women were not respected… Today, you hold the chance to change that narrative.”

The committee expressed strong support for the project.

“I do commend you sir on opening another facility in my district,” Member Herbert Brooks said. “The need for women is just as strong as there for men.”

The request now moves to the full County Board for final approval.