Faith-based re-entry house for men

Rebuilding Lives.Restoring Hope.Creating a Way Forward.

CREAA provides more than a place to stay. At the Bryan Clay House, men find structure, accountability, recovery support, employment help, transportation, and a community committed to helping them create a way forward.

Begin the Application →Call 256-841-1525

John Means teaching from Scripture at the Bryan Clay House — Truth that leaves the page and enters real life.

Overhead view of the Bryan Clay House campus in Cullman, Alabama — The Bryan Clay House — a place to rebuild from the inside out.

Our beginning

2017

Every story has a beginning.

CREAA began with a burden: what happens when a man completes treatment, leaves jail, or walks out of prison with nowhere safe to go and no one prepared to walk beside him?

In September 2017, Albert Pugh, Dr. Bill Peinhardt, and Jo Kreps helped turn that burden into action. The first board gathered the following month, and the Bryan Clay House opened on April 1, 2018.

The house is named in memory of Bryan Steele and Clay Glasscock, the sons of two CREAA board members who were lost to addiction. Their names are carried forward in every life given room to rebuild.

CREAA is not a handout. It is a hand up—and a belief that every life is worth rebuilding.

Our mission

A place to rebuild from the inside out.

CREAA—Cullman Re-entry Addiction Assistance, Inc.—operates the 30-bed Bryan Clay House in Cullman, Alabama. We serve men returning from incarceration and men seeking freedom from addiction, homelessness, and unemployment.

Faith is the foundation, but transformation is walked out through daily responsibility: showing up, going to work, building healthy routines, facing the past honestly, and learning to move forward with purpose.

01Faith & identity

02Structure & accountability

03Work & responsibility

04Reentry & Community

Aerial view of the Bryan Clay House and surrounding Cullman community

Re-entry is happening every day

Men Are Coming Home.

The question is not whether men are returning from incarceration. The question is what they are coming home to.

CREAA helps make that return a beginning instead of another dead end—a safe place to live, people who stay, clear expectations, employment support, discipleship, and a path toward responsibility.

A man cannot rebuild yesterday. But he can build what comes next.

See How Restoration Happens →

What we do

How Restoration Happens.

Practical support for a lasting new start. Re-entry touches every part of life, so CREAA brings the essential pieces together and walks beside each man as he builds stability.

Two Bryan Clay House residents in their room

Safe Housing

A structured, sober living environment with meals, routine, peer support, and clear expectations.

Employment Support

Help finding work, preparing for employment, developing dependable habits, and building a pathway toward self-sufficiency.

Billy beside the black Honda Odyssey at the Bryan Clay House

Transportation

Reliable transportation to work, appointments, meetings, church, and other approved destinations when needed.

Men participating in a CREAA support group

Recovery Support

NA, AA, Celebrate Recovery, group meetings, counseling access, and a community where honesty and accountability matter.

CREAA residents and volunteers serving together

Life Skills

Guidance with identification, finances, responsibilities, relationships, decision-making, and preparing for independent living.

John Means teaching Scripture at the Bryan Clay House

Spiritual Growth

Bible study, weekly church services, discipleship, and truth-centered conversations that connect faith to everyday life.

Our impact

Progress you can measure.

These 2025 outcomes reflect men taking real steps toward employment, sobriety, stability, and community life—with staff, volunteers, employers, churches, and partners walking beside them.

97men served

85%obtained employment

3,360transportation trips

70%completed the program

80%maintained sobriety

1,250volunteer hours

The proof

Lives rebuilt one decision at a time.

Success is not a perfect story. It is steady progress—work, savings, restored responsibility, leadership, and the courage to keep walking.

Jimmy FosterIndependence & testimony

From 29 years in prison to independence.

Jimmy came to the Bryan Clay House in 2024 after 29 years in prison. He worked at Hardee’s, added a second job at Topre, purchased vehicles and a new camper, and moved into independent living. He continues working both jobs and has shared his testimony publicly.

A second chance becomes powerful when a man is given the structure and opportunity to build something lasting.

Terry TownsendPreparation & opportunity

Twenty years in prison. Eight months to a new start.

Terry arrived in April 2025 after 20 years in prison and completing Perry County PREP. He went to work at Rusken Packaging, saved, bought transportation and a camper, and moved into independent living in December 2025. He remains employed and moving forward.

Terry’s story shows what can happen when preparation, employment, accountability, and opportunity come together.

Jesse PooleResponsibility & leadership

Steady progress. A future still being built.

Jesse came in 2023 and stayed more than two years. He worked, saved, resolved outstanding fines, restored his driver’s license, purchased a motor home, and became a volunteer leader. He continues to participate in roundtables while pursuing an engineering degree.

Jesse’s success is not just what he purchased—it is the patience, responsibility, and leadership he developed along the way.

The people behind the mission

Meet the CREAA Team.

CREAA is led by people who understand that change requires compassion, truth, accountability, and the willingness to stay present for the long road.

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Albert Pugh

Albert’s leadership helped establish the Bryan Clay House as a place where men can find safety, spiritual direction, practical support, and another chance to build a productive life.

“I believe no life is beyond God’s power to redeem, and every person deserves the opportunity to rebuild their lives with hope, dignity, and purpose.”

The CREAA pathway

One mission. Three connected stages.

The words at the heart of CREAA now shape the way visitors move through the website—and the way men move toward lasting independence.

Rebuilding Lives

Safe housing, daily structure, life skills, transportation, employment support, accountability, and practical help provide a firm place to begin.

See how rebuilding begins →

Restoring Hope

Faith, recovery, community, encouragement, and recognition of real progress remind each man that his past does not have the final word.

See hope taking root →

Creating a Way Forward

Meaningful work, community service, reentry planning, healthy relationships, and preparation for independence turn a new beginning into a future.

See the way forward →

Walking It Out Part One curriculum book cover by John Means

More than a class

A shared language for lasting change.

CREAA began using Walking It Out at the Bryan Clay House as part of its discipleship and Roundtable ministry. The curriculum was developed from years of ministry, mentoring, prison ministry, and lived experience.

Each main book is paired with a daily devotional guide. Together, they help readers carry biblical truth from the lesson into the choices, relationships, and responsibilities of everyday life.

IdentityRestorationObediencePerseveranceAuthorityTruthStandKeep Walking

View Books & Order →

Apply to Bryan Clay House

Ready to create a way forward?

Applications may be completed by the applicant or by a loved one helping him seek placement. Call our intake team if you need help before applying.

Faith-based residential re-entry and recovery support for men
Applicant must be eligible and capable of full-time employment
Entry requires a full six-month commitment
Applicants who are incarcerated should provide a current time sheet

Please note: CREAA is not a detox facility. Anyone needing detoxification must complete that process before arrival.

Open the Application →Call Intake

CREAA men and St. Andrew's volunteers serving with Operation Christmas Child

CREAA gives back

Help received becomes help given.

Restoration includes learning to serve. CREAA residents are using their time, strength, and practical skills to help churches, neighbors, and community organizations.

Moving helpYard cleanupDonation pickupCommunity projects

See How CREAA Gives Back →Request Community Help

Ways to partner

Help build the next second chance.

Restoration works best when the community takes part. Churches, employers, businesses, volunteers, and individual donors each have a place in the work.

Employ a Resident

Offer qualified participants a chance to work, prove themselves, build skills, and become dependable members of your team.

Meet our current employers →

Give Financially

Support transportation, workforce development, resident assistance, facility improvements, or the area of greatest need.

Serve & Volunteer

Share time, professional skills, mentoring, ministry support, meals, supplies, maintenance help, or other practical services.

One phone call can be the beginning of a different future.

Bryan Clay House · 4690 County Road 437 · Cullman, Alabama 35057 · creaa2018@gmail.com

Call 256-841-1525