A Journey in Recovery
Our program instills a sense of belonging through a structered living situation with responsibilities and accountability.
An addict learning to live without the use of drugs needs to be instilled with a sense of belonging and service to the community. As recovering addicts, they can play a major role in the revitalization of their community. With each addict that finds a new way of life, a community not only rids itself of one less destructive member, but potentially gains a productive one. This person is not only contributing by being drug-free, but also by being employed, a responsible parent, home owner, tax payer, and a law-abiding citizen of the community.
The Ragpicker will provide structured, clean and safe recovery houses for recovering addicts and alcoholics where they can learn to live and function without the use of drugs or alcohol. The Ragpicker’s home-like family settings will provide a support group and a powerful sense of belonging that most addicts have lost through their addiction.
Program participants will be selected through a formal process. The applicants will be referred to us through public and private referrals, such as prisons, churches, hospitals, “off the street”, family members, etc. Upon admission each participate will be evaluated by outside counselors (at their own expense). Each participant will be required to attend ninety (90) Narcotics Anonymous meetings or Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in the first ninety (90) days of participation. They will also be required to attend at least once per week a home group meeting (ie., group counseling) as well as find a sponsor within ten (10) days of being admitted into the program. Within thirty (30) days of admission they must begin actively seeking employment.
Our participants will be treated with dignity and respect as they continue the journey in recovery, healing and finding hope. They will reside in private homes, which are owned, rented, and/or managed by The Ragpicker, and will be held accountable for their day-to-day responsibilities. A person’s self-esteem can be very strongly related to their surroundings. That is why all of the facilities will have central air and heat, cable TV, wireless Internet, telephones, washer and dryer, and fully equipped kitchens.
The Ragpicker recognizes that chemical dependency is a treatable condition with a high potential for successful recovery. The long term therapeutic housing setting includes opportunities for participants to face realistic, appropriate, everyday challenges and to develop and utilize methods for coping as they re-enter society. In addition, our participants will be provided with information about outside programs such as out-patient counseling, medical assistance, and parenting classes, all of which can be used as additional tools and aids in support of their return to productive participation in the community.