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GET HELP for ANOTHER

For referring agencies:

Do you encounter and serve at-risk women?
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Safe Harbor House is dedicated to creating an environment that empowers at-risk women toward healing and wholeness and equips them for productive and quality living.
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Our hope is to be a resource for all those serving at-risk women who require holistic transition care: social service agencies, the religious and recovery communities, and law enforcement and healthcare professionals. If you have encountered a woman who might be in need of a 24/7 residential sober-living community and a transition program:

Characteristics of someone needing holistic transition care
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There are many women who have experienced suffering in their lives. Many are resilient and many have good support. However, women who have experienced a combination of tragedies, and have done so without support, need the help of a sober living community to renew their minds and restore their lives.

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Has she experienced a series of tragedies?
Has she suffered without adequate support?
Has she experienced any of the following:

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  • Significant losses due to death or legal action

  • Substance Abuse

  • Incarceration

  • Financial ruin

  • Homeless and/or without family or community support

  • Victim of human trafficking or domestic violence or abuse

  • History of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse

  • Experienced tragic accident/natural disaster

Profile of the ideal candidate

Would she qualify to be a resident at Safe Harbor?

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Safe Harbor is open to all qualified women regardless of ethnicity, religious affiliation, or sexual orientation. The ideal resident is the woman who is open to community living and is ready to do the hard work of healing and restoring her life. Our program demands that a woman commit to a full year of instruction and guidance. She must be willing to fully participate in the transformation process that comes through education, skill development, self-discovery, and feedback and assessment from the community. And she must have the following qualifications:

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  • Gender: Female

  • Age: 18+

  • Status: Not currently the primary care-giver for any children

  • Physical: No serious/life-threatening medical conditions; Mobile; Able to provide self-care and self-administer medication; and able to begin job search within 6 months-9 months

  • Mental: Mentally able to process new information and communicate

  • Psychological/Emotional: Has not be prescribed any antipsychotic medications (may be flexible, depending on the situation); Mentally and emotionally stable; No reported suicide attempts in at least (3 months)

  • Recovery: Not actively addicted; has been clean from drugs/alcohol for at least 30 days.
    *Because we are a transition home, we give preference to those who have taken advantage of some type of 30 day+ detox and recovery programs

  • Safety: Does not have a history of violence; Not a registered sex offender

Candidates who are better served elsewhere

Would another program be a better fit?

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  • Whenever appropriate, we work towards reuniting family members and restoring healthy relationships. However, we heed the 12-step mantra, “Romance and recovery do not mix.” Therefore, residents are not allowed to pursue romantic relationships of any kind during their time at Safe Harbor. Communication with safe, supportive husbands will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

  • While we aim to reunify mothers and children throughout their time with us (providing visitation and working with legal aid to regain custody), we are unable to accommodate dependent children.

  • As part of our program all residents must be able to perform a variety of household chores, manage stairs, handle common appliances, and lift 25lb.

  • While we do provide professional psychological assessment and out-patient therapy, we are not to diagnose and treat mental illness. Additionally, we cannot admit someone who has attempted or threatened harm to self or others within 30 days. Consideration may be given if a candidate is able to provide a referral from a mental health provider and access to up-to-date mental health diagnosis and treatment plans that are successful.

  • Our program is heavily education-based. While we welcome and accommodate all types of learners, literate and non-literate, we are unable to accommodate those individuals who do not have the mental capacity to successfully process our curriculum in traditional and non-traditional ways.

  • Our facility is smoke-free and pet-free.

  • Residents must earn the privilege to have a cell phone or car upon successful promotion within the program.

How to refer candidate:
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  1. Contact us and request an application packet and brochure.

  2. Encourage the client to fill out the application and write a two-page summary of her life story. Be sure to include a current contact number for the candidate and yourself.

  3. A Safe Harbor staff member will call to set an appointment for a face-to-face or phone interview.

  4. Encourage client to contact social service and health-care professionals and sign release forms so that a Safe Harbor staff member is able to conduct inquiries when needed.

  5. Upon review of all application materials, interview, and other health reports, Safe Harbor staff will contact the candidate to discuss the status of her application. If staff extends an invitation to the program and the candidate agrees to follow the Safe Harbor twelve-month program, she will receive a letter of acceptance.

 
Cost: program fees

The program fee for Safe Harbor House is $500/month. If you cannot afford to pay this amount, there is a sliding scale (30% of net income) and you may be eligible for a scholarship for the amount you cannot pay. After you begin working, you will be responsible for your program fees, even if you have not been paying program fees up to that point.

 
The intake process at Safe Harbor House
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There are several steps that help the staff at Safe Harbor and women who are interested in living in the house to mutually decide if Safe Harbor House is a place where she can heal and thrive. The process is outlined below:

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  • A referral is made from various community partners. A Safe Harbor staff members explains that the woman must meet the basic profile of an ideal candidate

  • If the woman meets all these basic criteria, the staff at SHH will send the referring partner an application.

  • A woman may contact us and request an application packet and brochure

  • The woman completes the application and returns it to SHH along with a brief summary of her life story (2-5 pages).

  • Safe Harbor staff will schedule an interview with the candidate. If there are no open spaces, the application will be put on a waiting list, to be considered when space becomes available.

  • During the interview and subsequent conversations, Safe Harbor staff will encourage the candidate to contact all social service and health-care professionals and sign release forms so that a Safe Harbor staff member is able to conduct inquiries when needed. A follow-up conversation is scheduled for within 10 business days for both parties to communicate the decision.

  • Upon review of all application materials, interview, and other health reports, Safe Harbor staff will contact the candidate to discuss the status of her application. If staff extends an invitation to the program and the candidate agrees to follow the Safe Harbor twelve-month program, she will receive a letter of acceptance.

  • If both Safe Harbor staff and the woman feel that SHH will be a place that she can heal and grow, they will move ahead with setting the arrival date, arranging details of the move and signing any necessary paperwork. If the applicant is currently incarcerated, the decision and details for the move will be communicated via the referring partner.

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