After Rehab: Back to the Street
posted: November 10, 2007 | category: homelessness, substance abuse
tags: housing, stories, Ten Year Plan
Last night on NightWatch, I talked to a homeless friend who’s completed two different well-known, faith-based, long-term, residential substance abuse rehabilitation programs. But he’s still on the street, and still using. So, what happened?
The big flaw in many residential rehab programs is the lack of after-care. In both of the rehabs that he was in, he worked at jobs or activities directly associated with the program, and the money that he earned went back into the programs, to help support them. So when he left each program, he left without a job or the financial resources to be self-supporting. With no housing, no funds and no structured environment, he ended up back on the street both times.
This is a familiar story, and it’s why new permanent supportive housing programs move people from homelessness into permanent housing first, and then provide wraparound support services, such as treatment for substance abuse disorders. You do your recovery in the residential setting in which you’ll continue to live. You don’t have to move out when you “graduate.”
It’s extremely difficult (if not impossible) to maintain addiction recovery when you’re homeless and living on the street. People in recovery need stability, including stable housing. We need to look at treatment models that either start with permanent supportive housing or move people from residential treatment into permanent supportive housing and include the appropriate level of after-care for as long as it’s needed. Otherwise, we’re setting people up to fail. Addiction is an illness, not a choice. We know what works. Let’s do it.
My friend is going to talk to a medical professional this week, and I’m hopeful that he’ll get into a program that includes both treatment and stable housing. I’m going to do what I can to help make that happen.
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2 Responses to “After Rehab: Back to the Street”
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I guess you know this is what those of us who have actually “gotten our hands dirty” working with the great unwashed and the unwashed themselves have been trying to tell the Know-it-alls in power for years now. But of course these people who have never been out on the streets and wouldn’t dream of ever going out either, know better what is needed. And of course what is needed is another grant funded program offering lucrative jobs for management with the tiny bit that is left over going for some show of helping those in need like the resident programs you speak of above. And of course these people have to be thrown back out onto the streets so that they will surely one day in the near future return to the facility for one more round of “hope and then dash that hope” care. These managers and Know-what’s-Besters don’t want to see an end to homelessness or addiction because then they just may actually have to go out and get a real job.
Sorry Honey, just more of my long time pain and disillusion and anger still boiling up at the least mention of these vultures who prey on those in need. BB
Feel free to rant here any time you want. You’ve earned the right.
Love,
CM