Faith
Sojourner House is a faith-based program that accepts women of all faiths. We believe that growing in spirituality is a cornerstone to recovery. Women are told during the admission process that we recognize that addiction is a decision of the soul and recovery includes growing in spirituality. Sojourner House mandates that women participate in groups to develop spirituality and morning and evening meditations. We also link women to congregations and churches that reflect their choices. We recognize that for some women developing faith means learning to believe in a Higher Power. We rely on the success stories of women who share their faith and life experiences to reinforce our message that strengthening spirituality is essential to long-term recovery.
Recovery
Ninety percent of Sojourner House's clients are dually diagnosed with mental illness and substance abuse (MISA.) Recovery is arduous, elusive and intermittent for the majority of MISA diagnosed individuals, and addiction and mental illness are both chronic and acute afflictions. For a variety of reasons, among them stigma, shame, and ignorance, the number of programs for addiction and mental illness do not come close to meeting needs. The stark realities of the lack of supported housing for dually diagnosed women, persuaded Sojourner House's staff and board to expand its role in providing addiction services.
At Sojourner House, each family has its own apartment. This way, they can encounter the blessings and challenges of living as an independent family…securely surrounded by support from the round-the-clock staff. Sojourner House gives each woman the privacy she deserves and the dignity of claiming her role as head of the household.
Our three-pronged program emphasizes counseling, life skills, and parenting. Sojourner House's program includes individual, group and family counseling. In addition, residents attend seminars on practical life skills, parenting, spirituality development and recreation. Life skills include basic life skills and community re-entry groups. The Family Education and Support Staff (FESS) component includes individual sessions and parenting groups and an educational component.
Women do not work or go to school while they are in the program. The length of the each woman's stay is determined individually based on her progress and dedication. A woman can stay as long as she is working on her mutually agreed upon issues and goals. The average length of stay is five to six months, but an extended stay is possible in extraordinary circumstances.
Through the generosity of the Homeless Children’s Education Fund (HCEF), Sojourner House and Sojourner MOMS are opening Learning Centers in the fall of 2008. The Learning Centers, designed and installed by HCEF, will provide age appropriate educational resources for the children, youth and parents. Each center is equipped with state of the art computers, educational software and a lending library.
Because our families have multiple episodes of homelessness coupled by the unstable lifestyle that active parental addiction brings, many of the children have had sporadic school attendance and/or have changed schools multiple times during a school year. As a result they often fall behind in primary subjects such as reading and math and lack the resources to catch up.
Sojourner House/MOMS is grateful to the Homeless Children’s Education Fund whose mission is to serve as a voice to homeless children in Allegheny County and to ensure that they are afforded equal access to the same educational opportunities and experiences as their peers.
|
