About Us
Ever since opening in 2017, Design for Recovery rapidly developed a reputation as one of Los Angeles’ preeminent sober living homes.
Our sober living facility in Playa del Rey, a neighborhood in Los Angeles’ South Bay region, offers young men a supportive, safe, and trigger-free environment where they can work to build new lives for themselves.
Residents form a community, offering each other extensive peer support, but they also benefit from the guidance and support of sober living house managers and staff.
Meet the Team
David Beasley - Founder
David Beasley founded Design for Recovery with a mission: to help young men achieve the sobriety that he worked so far for himself. David’s story is one of countless relapses. From treatment centers to sober living homes, nothing ever seemed to give him to long term sobriety he so sorely wanted. When he moved from North Carolina to California, his hope for a better life was beginning to fade.
When David tried a structured sober living home in Los Angeles, everything suddenly seemed to fall into place. Unlike traditional sober living homes, David learned, structured homes offered tools and skills that not only helped him stay sober over the long term, but supported him as he worked to build up the rest of his life. In no time at all, David found that he had become a role model and leader for other young men who were struggling with substance use disorders the way David had only a short time prior.
David realized that helping other young men progress in their sober journeys was a life calling. He noticed that there was a lack of ethical and structured sober living facilities in Los Angeles, and he realized that countless people could benefit from having access to these structured environments. He founded his new sober living home — Design for Recovery — on the basis of strong principles, including integrity, honesty, discipline, and accountability. For David, these values formed the bedrock of his sobriety, as well as his success in relationships and his career.
David’s own history of struggle and recovery provide him with a deep understanding of what men go through during the process of tackling addiction. David used his own experiences in a structured sober living home as a model in designing his own sober living facility.
It is David’s philosophy that addiction recovery is far more than just remaining physically abstinent from drugs and alcohol. Recovery involves taking active steps toward addressing underlying issues, repairing the wreckage of the past, and learning new values. As founder of Design for Recovery, David continues to take an active role in the life of every young man who walks through the doors.
Derek Eckley - Co-Founder/Program Director
Before co-founding Design for Recovery, Derek Eckley walked a rocky path. While trying to get sober, Derek went to 18 different treatment centers, but none of them offered him what he needed. Losing hope, he moved across the country from New Jersey to Los Angeles. There, he entered an all-male structured sober living home for the first time. At this structured sober living home, Derek finally developed the recovery skills he needed that keep him sober today. He is passionate about helping other young men learn the lessons that he so sorely needed.
It is Derek’s belief that quitting drugs and alcohol is only the beginning when it comes to developing a life in recovery. Derek is actively involved in the lives of young men who struggle with addiction and mental health conditions. He guides them through the obstacles and challenges of early recovery, teaching them valuable skills ranging from career development to resolving conflicts in broken relationships.
Derek is sober today thanks to the structured sober living home he attended and the principles of a 12-step program. His recovery rests on a solid foundation of principles, including discipline, integrity, responsibility, and accountability. He does not take his sobriety for granted. It is a path he continues to take one day at a time.
Drew Brown - Director of Operations
Drew Brown didn’t want to recognize his addiction, despite suffering from a substance use disorder for many years. It was only when he finally enrolled in an all-male structured sober living home that he was able to cast his reservations aside and face the truth.
Drew worked closely with sober living managers and other mentors to develop a strong foundation for sobriety. Today, he walks a path that he wasn’t sure he ever wanted for himself. He is no longer in a state of denial. With the help of a strong sober social support system, mentors, and sober living staff, Drew has freed himself from the vicious cycle of drug and alcohol addiction.
Drew’s life-changing experience in a structured sober living home helped him realize his passion for sharing this gift. He works earnestly to revolutionize the lives of young men in recovery and help them face challenges and difficult truths. No matter how hopeless and dejected a resident is, Drew has a knack for reigniting their passions. For Drew, the most fulfilling thing in the world is seeing their passion grow and watching them begin to lead fulfilling new lives in sobriety.
Josh T.
Josh, from Oklahoma, set out a little more than two years ago to end a devastating trend of death and addiction that afflicted so many loved ones around him. Of Native American heritage (Kiowa and Seminole), he witnessed firsthand the tragic effects of alcoholism and drug addiction on the people he loved the most. His addiction began when he was only 14 years old.
He moved to Los Angeles at the age of 18 and discovered for the first time, the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous. After several attempts at sobriety, he came to Design for Recovery, where he learned the value of working a 12-Step program and being of service to others. He prides himself on being a good son, a reliable friend, and a helping hand to those in need. Josh’s message is simple: life is short and we don’t have forever to mess around. He made the decision to get sober at a young age and hasn’t looked back since.
“We’re complicated people, but it’s a simple solution,” he said.
Josh exemplifies the simple truth that no matter the obstacles or the odds stacked against us, there is always a solution if we remain steadfast in finding it.
Matt M.
Matt found himself in a vicious cycle of relapse, homelessness, incarceration, and treatment, followed inevitably by another relapse. For more than 10 years, his life felt like Groundhog Day, living the same nightmare year after year. Finally, he decided to make a change that would last. Matt came to Design for Recovery a year and a half ago. He felt defeated, but willing to do what was necessary to rebuild a broken life. Matt credits Design with giving him guidance and the tools necessary to succeed in long-term sobriety. His modest beginnings–like learning to make his bed every morning, sticking to a daily routine, and keeping his room clean–instilled in him a framework built on discipline, accountability, and personal responsibility.
This is the same message Matt passes along as a manager and mentor at Design today. “Just take it slow and work on yourself,” he says. “The rest will fall into place.”
Matt is a regular participant in 12-Step meetings and works with a sponsor. His painstaking road to recovery gave him wisdom he now shares with those struggling to stay sober. He is proof that what doesn’t kill us simply makes us stronger.
Sober Living in Playa del Rey
Design for Recovery, a structured sober living home for men located in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Playa del Rey, offers the ideal environment for young men pursuing recovery and a new way of life. Our recovery services include weekly house meetings, one-on-one mentoring, career development, and life skills training. At Design for Recovery’s sober living facility, young men not only work hard to stay sober, but to lead meaningful new lives in recovery.
Our Playa del Rey location is the perfect place to begin a new way of life. Our property itself offers a supportive, safe, and trigger-free environment where residents can engage in their recovery journeys without distraction. Meanwhile, our location in Playa del Rey provides countless opportunities for residents to expand their sober social support systems. Playa del Rey and its adjacent neighborhoods are home to a thriving recovery community and countless resources. Playa del Rey is also centrally located, and residents in our sober living home can have active lifestyles, taking advantage of opportunities to surf, hike, and attend cultural events in Los Angeles. Playa del Rey has plentiful employment opportunities. During their residencies, young men at Design for Recovery begin working jobs, building connections with other people, and rediscovering the joys of day-to-day life.
If you are prepared for a new way of living, contact us today. You can reach out to Design for Recovery any time at (310) 554-6884.
Strength in Sobriety
Signup for our Quarterly Newsletter
Design for Recovery offers a quarterly newsletter focused on helping others live sober through encouragement from those who are going through it. We provide resources that help strengthen the mind, body, and spirit while encouraging those seeking recovery or living sober along their journey. We share sober living news, support groups, and events, as well as articles written by other members of our community sharing their own stories of strength in recovery – all designed to bring hope at each step of your journey!