This episode of Design and Religion – Look for the Helpers features Chris Locke, founder of SL24: UnLocke the Light and Sean’s House in Newark, Delaware. Chris shares the story of losing his son Sean in 2018 to suicide just weeks before his 24th birthday and how that tragedy reshaped his life and mission. Sean appeared to have everything: he was a Division I athlete, a team captain at the University of Delaware, and someone widely loved in his community. Yet he was quietly battling depression and anxiety.
Chris explains that Sean left a note with one powerful line: “Depression is a real thing.” That sentence became the catalyst for Chris’s work. After Sean’s death, a memorial basketball event drew more than 3,000 people and raised $200,000, revealing the depth of community support and the widespread need for mental health awareness.
From that moment emerged SL24 and eventually Sean’s House — a 24/7 safe haven located in the same house Sean lived in while attending college. The model is intentionally simple and deeply human: a welcoming home environment with food, couches, and trained peer support volunteers who listen to anyone who walks in. No intake forms. No sign-ins. Just conversation.
Over five years, the house has welcomed tens of thousands of visitors and directly intervened in hundreds of suicide crises. The heart of the program is peer support — volunteers with lived experience who sit with visitors and listen without judgment. Chris describes how many individuals struggle silently for years before verbalizing their pain, and how environments like Sean’s House help shorten that timeline.
The conversation moves into deeper themes about vulnerability, faith, and community. Chris reflects on how losing Sean changed him personally, particularly his ability to listen with empathy. Pastor Nate connects the work of Sean’s House to spiritual ideas of presence and hospitality, suggesting that churches could learn from the openness of the space.
Van shares his own experience with addiction and recovery, emphasizing how long it can take for someone to find the courage to seek help. Chris highlights the connection between untreated mental health struggles and addiction, noting that many people self-medicate to cope with unseen pain.
The episode closes with reflections on how community spaces — whether a house, a church, or a dinner table — can become places of healing. Chris emphasizes that the most powerful support often comes from simple human connection: sitting together, breaking bread, and listening.
Sean’s House continues to grow through volunteers, community donations, and the expansion of “Sean’s Rooms” in local high schools. Chris remains focused on Delaware while helping other communities replicate the model if they wish.
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We envision a world where design and religion work together to spread love, empathy, and charity faster than divisiveness, selfishness, and hate. To achieve this, we aim to bring the stories of those driving this change—both big and small—into the spotlight, allowing ideas for positive transformation to spread quickly and reach those who need them most.
Nate is the Head Pastor at Red Clay Creek Presbyterian Church https://rccpc.org/
Van is a Service Designer and Illustrator, and his work can be found at https://www.vansheacreative.com/
