STEP Moves People Out of Addiction, Homelessness

Homeless substance abusers in Sussex County are improving their quality of life thanks to STEP (Support, Treatment, Education, and Prevention), Brandywine’s outpatient program in southern Delaware.

135 homeless individuals have entered STEP since the program started up in late 2009. 93% of them are drug free after 6 months. 55% have found affordable housing, and 63% have improved their employment status or received entitlements. All STEP clients receive case management, substance abuse treatment, a mental health evaluation, health care services, and education on disease prevention.

The clinicians of STEP work resourcefully in the community to help their clients find housing and jobs. A case manager visits area shelters to meet with residents, answer questions, and run educational groups. A vocational specialist helps clients write their resume, links them to community resources, and takes them out in the community to help them find employment.

There are many success stories. One client, diagnosed with schizophrenia, has decreased her hospital stays and substance use to the point where she is ready to live on her own. Others have gone back to get their GED and enroll in college. Another client came to us having nearly lost everything, including custody of her daughter, as a result of her addiction. Today she is celebrating 9 months clean and sober, has a job, her child is back home with her, and she is finishing her Associates degree with a 4.0 GPA!

We’re also excited about our new partnership with the TAP FAITH group, which stands for Talented Address-less People for Affordable Innovative Transitional Housing. The group meets at a church in Georgetown every week and is composed of community leaders throughout Sussex County, and individuals who are currently homeless. TAP FAITH helps the homeless clients of STEP by coming together to brainstorm options for them to be housed that day.

At a recent TAP FAITH meeting, a woman came to the meeting who was homeless and had no funds. Immediately, members began to come up with options. One member gave his phone to the woman to call the Crisis House. She was not able to reach them, so he told her he would transport her there after the meeting to see if a bed was available. The church pastor then told her, if she could not get admitted to the Crisis House, to get a denial slip which would give her access to stay in the church’s emergency shelter for the night.

TAP FAITH is an excellent group that has grown from 6 members to 20 in months, and is still growing, all for the sole purpose of helping our homeless population. It is an exciting group and a great opportunity for BCCS and our clients to be involved in.

STEP is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, and by the Delaware Health Fund. For more information about STEP, please call 302-856-4700.

Housing, Rehab Services Grow for Delaware’s Recovering Persons

Jim Martin, a housing and recovery advocate from downstate, wrote to us with an update on some new services available for recovering persons in Delaware.

You might remember our previous posts here and here on Jim’s past as an Oxford House resident and volunteer. Now a graduate in good standing, he still volunteers with Oxford House. “Throughout the past 2 years, I have successfully placed over 150 men and 8 women in affordable recovery beds and my plan is to keep going because I see how the need keeps growing and growing,” he says.

Jim passed along a number of resources we wanted to share with you:

• U Count Family Home is a new 3/4 recovery house in Georgetown with a special focus on dads in recovery. Located at 1 New Street, it has space for up to 8 men. The typical resident is coming from prison, homelessness or rehab, and working toward reunifying with their children. Jim is the volunteer organizer for U Count, and wants to thank BCI Georgetown for sending many housing referrals. “Both Kelle [Paynter] and Rachel [Eaton] have been doing tremendous work in our communities down here in Sussex!!” he says. “They are excellent resources and have so much knowledge about the area."

• The new I-ADAPT team in Kent County has monthly meetings open to the public. I-ADAPT helps place substance abusers and others into employment and housing after release from prison. "We are all coming away with a better understanding of how the state agencies and committees have been working together for effective prisoner reentry," Jim says. "Obviously, there is much to be done and we must continue to work together to bring about significant change."

• The Delaware Department of Labor is offering a summer Job Club to provide assistance with resume writing, interviewing practice, and job searching. This is specifically intended for people with difficult employment barriers. Contact Jim for more information.

Jim invites you to reach out to him with any questions about Oxford housing or any of the items above. You can reach him by phone at (302) 858-6980, or by email at james.martin@state.de.us or green1980580@yahoo.com.

Thanks Jim for the update, and for all the work you do.

How to Help the Homeless? Start with "Welcome."

Picture "the homeless." What comes to mind? A panhandler on the city streets, with a cardboard sign? With a weathered face, and disheveled clothing? That's what most of us picture.

Now picture the salesman you met the other day who sold you your new PDA. He was a neatly groomed professional, in a suit jacket, self-assured and confident as he made his pitch. Michael was his name. Would you believe Michael is homeless? How about Marshall, an energetic, proud father of three in an Old Navy T-shirt?

1,479 people were homeless in Delaware at last count. By definition, “homeless” includes someone living on the street or in a shelter. It also includes residents of transitional or supportive housing, like Michael, and Marshall. They are the invisible homeless. But their challenges are no less severe, and their needs no less urgent. Now, with help, they are on their way to self-sufficiency.

Michael’s drinking problem began during his fraternity days, but continued into his thirties. As part owner of a liquor store, he found himself entrenched in a daily routine. “Basically it was, go to work, come home, drink, go to sleep, get up in the morning, maybe have a drink, maybe not, go to work.” Relations with his family suffered. He embarrassed himself at their get-togethers, borrowed their money to support his drinking, and generally felt like a disappointment. Finally, at 41, his landlord had police remove him from his apartment for a continuing pattern of drunkenness. Suicidal, Michael entered the hospital at his mother’s urging, and then drug treatment at Hudson Health Services.

Marshall, at 42, had also lost a place to live and his family’s trust due to years of addiction. His drug money was coming out of the budget for rent and the children’s clothes. “I would say that I was going out to the bar just for a beer, and then I’d get a couple drinks. Then, I’d run into somebody, I’d get a snort, and I was out till 2 or 3 in the morning.” Last year, after several unsuccessful attempts at treatment, he entered the Crisis House shelter in Georgetown.
Recently, both men were referred to the Brandywine Counseling Georgetown Center for further treatment. They were stable for the moment, but they needed help to sustain it. Without a permanent place to live, or a job, self-sufficiency seemed out of reach. Or so they thought. That was before they walked in the door to BCI.

“I was greeted warmly,” Michael recalls. “You don’t know anybody. They don’t know you. They don’t owe you anything, but they immediately go to work for you.” The diverse team of counselors and case managers began by creating a welcoming environment, crucial in earning the trust of a clientele that has often lost all hope. Basic needs were met first. Concerns were listened to, and responded to. Extra time and assistance was given wherever they could. It wasn’t long before Michael started to see real results.

His transitional housing was not working out; in fact, it was putting his recovery at risk. He needed another place fast. Counselor Kelle Paynter found him one. Vocational Counselor Tammy Williams helped him find temporary work, gave him referrals to social services, and drove him places he needed to go. “They did all the leg work. They gave me the options and helped me choose which ones to follow up on.” Soon, his new job-seeking skills helped him land his sales job. On his first day of work, Michael stopped by to visit in his suit and tie, beaming with pride.

Marshall’s first impression was positive as well. “My counselor, Rachel [Eaton], gave me a lot of hope. She devoted all her time to getting me a roof over my head. When a lot of places turned me down or didn’t have room, she kept calling and calling and calling, and she got me in. When people show you how they really care, it just really makes you want to do better.” Now staying in recovery housing, Marshall is also working with Kelle on finding a part time job and wants to go to school for computer engineering.

Both men benefited from newly expanded services at BCI Georgetown, thanks to a new 5 year federal CSAT homeless grant. The program aims to admit 120 people a year, and help 75% become drug free, 60% find improved housing, and 50% improve their employment status within 6 months. In addition, there’s a new vocational training program, funded by a First State Community Action grant.

The biggest change for Michael and Marshall is in their outlook. “I’m more focused, very confident, very proud of how far I’ve come in just three months time,” says Michael. “There are times still when I feel like I’m almost juggling beach balls, but these folks are always here to keep me focused. The joy that I feel, these guys share it. It’s like a shared enthusiasm. That’s probably the single best thing I can say about this place and the people.” With over 90 days clean, he hopes to soon have a career, a place to call his own, and a long-lasting personal relationship.

Likewise, with 7 months clean, Marshall no longer has to spend his energy looking for shelters, or drugs, and can instead focus on his health. “I’m a below the knee amputee, so I have to do certain things to take care of myself. If I was doing drugs and alcohol, I would neglect that, ” he says. “The alcohol and drugs puts you in a spin, like you don’t care. [Recovery] makes you want to push more. It makes me want to work, makes me want to be productive in society. It feels wonderful, it really does.”

Most of all, Marshall looks forward to setting things right with his family. “Someday I want to raise my children. I’ve got this dream to get a house, and I always tell my children that one day they’re gonna have their own room. I just want to be the best dad I can be, take them places, buy them clothes, take them to amusement parks, and just do the quality time. I realized that you can’t buy children love, just quality time. That’s all they really want. So that’s really what I want to give them.”

Family is foremost in Michael’s mind as well. “When I told my parents I was doing this interview, my mother said, ‘All they need to do is call me!’ So, call my mom if you want! I’m very proud of myself. I’m not the kind of person that talks about myself at all or seeks help. This time I put my pride aside and did all that, and things are working out for me, so I’m very proud.”

The question is often debated, “How can we help the homeless?” Giving a hand-out? Donating to charity? Can one person even make a difference? For Marshall and Michael, the services they received at BCI got them back on their feet. But more importantly, the welcoming environment restored their hope and their positive thinking. A warm greeting, a sympathetic ear, a shared enthusiasm. Just our being there, more than what we give, sometimes makes all the difference.


BCI Georgetown services are funded by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, SAMHSA/CSAT; and the Community Services Block Grant through the Recovery Act. To learn more, please call Kris Hutchison at 302-856-4700.

Georgetown's New Programs Take Off

We are doing some exciting things here at BCI Georgetown that we wanted to share with you.

First, we are taking off with our expanded homeless program, thanks to a 5 year CSAT grant. Since December, our case managers have been getting out in the community and engaging homeless individuals in need of treatment. We have been able to transport them to appointments, and help them with housing and employment. We are all very excited about that.

Our new vocational program, funded by a First State Community Action grant, is also making a difference. Vocational Counselor Tammy Williams has had a number of her clients find employment, and when they come in to see her, the change in their self esteem is evident to us all. One gentleman in particular just got employed with a cellphone company. When he came in to see Tammy, he was in a suit and tie and was beaming with pride! Very cool!

We are also excited to announce that we will be starting a Co-Occurring Disorders group the first week of March 2010 which will run every week for an hour and a half. We have many other plans in the works for our growing office here in Georgetown. Stay tuned to bcidel.org for continued updates.

Expanded Oxford Houses Promote Recovery in Delaware

Today's News Journal gives us an update on the expansion of Oxford Houses in Delaware. Over the past year, the number of the houses has risen from 9 to 28. Jim Martin is the man behind the expansion and a success story himself. The houses are addressing a great need for recovery housing in our state, and yet still not meeting all the demand. And generally, the residents make good neighbors, too.

If you are interested in moving to an Oxford House, click here for a directory of locations, vacancies, and contact information.

Out Of the Dark, A New Dawn

On a bus stop bench on a frigid February morning, a young couple sat together shivering, and counting down the minutes until 9:00.

“How much longer?” Dawn asked her boyfriend.

“Four more minutes.”

Dawn broke into a smile in spite of the stinging cold. “Oh, I can’t wait! Soon they’ll open up… it’ll be so warm inside!”

He smiled back. “In four minutes, I’m gonna be layin’ on that comfy couch and gettin’ some sleep!”

A miserable, exhausting night neared its end. They had spent it at the bus stop on Lancaster Avenue, with all their belongings in their backpacks, and only their coats to keep them warm. But at 9:00, right behind them, they had a place they were welcome in the Brandywine Counseling Outreach Center. Dawn watched the buses come and go, full of people with places to go and things to do. Her plans today were simple: Get warm. Find some food. Hide from probation. Then, find some more heroin. Tomorrow, she’d do it all again. It wasn’t always this way. Six years ago, she had a normal life, a job, and a place to live. But one seemingly innocent car ride led her off course.

“I was working in a restaurant, and one of the other employees was asking me for rides. When he was getting out of the car, he was picking up drugs. I got curious about what he was picking up, and he let me try the heroin just by sniffing it one time. Eventually, he ran out of money to pay me for the rides, so he would start giving me drugs instead of gas money. I started to get sick if I wouldn’t use it, so I started to use it every day.”

“For a little while, I was okay. I could afford it. I started to be late for work. I started spending all my money on only drugs. I had to move back in with my parents, then I started to steal from them. I lost my job. I started stealing from cars and people’s houses, and ended up on probation.”

Dawn’s choices had led her down a destructive path of addiction, homelessness, and being on the run at age 27. She met her boyfriend and they stuck together, but there seemed to be no way out. They weren’t looking for help; only to survive. It was rare to find a friendly face that understood where they were. BCI case manager Sharon Brown was one who did.

“Hey, guys. Need a light?”

“Nah, we smoked our last cigarette hours ago.”

“Here. We’re not supposed to do this, but go on, take it.”

“Oh, thank you so much!”

“It’s too cold for y’all to be out here. Why don’t you come inside? There’s coffee and donuts. I can get you warm clothes, a place to wash up. You can crash on the couch, watch TV, read some books…”

Since that day, the pair became regulars at the drop-in center. “It became like a little home to us,” Dawn recalls. “We would go inside during the day, and sleep in there, and at nighttime we would just stay outside all night.” She began to trust the outreach staff. She began using their services, taking HIV tests, and visiting the needle exchange van. She learned about other services she wasn’t yet ready for.

“They would let us know that the methadone clinic was there, but they never seemed like they were judging us, or trying to push us into anything we didn’t want to do. They knew that we knew the services were there, and that we would use them when we were ready to.”

One day, a probation officer came to the bus stop. He took Dawn into custody, and she served six months in jail. In July 2008, she was released and reunited with her boyfriend. They were both free of drugs for a while, and even found themselves an apartment. But by September, they had relapsed and were using heroin again. They returned to the needle exchange.

“When we started coming back, they knew we were using again. They were a little more adamant this time. ‘You guys really need to try methadone this time, before you end up back in the situation that you were in.’” The couple faced a difficult decision.

“No way I’m gettin’ on methadone. It’s just another way to get high. It’s just as bad!”

“Well, I’ve heard those stories too, but what about the people we know who got on it? Seemed like it was working for them.”

“That’s true. They do look better. They’ve got jobs, they look stable.”

“Why don’t we try it? It’s the only thing we haven’t tried.”

With that, a window of trust had opened. The next morning, Dawn and her boyfriend went in to BCI, and they both started on methadone. She knew it would be a challenge to make her daily dosing, individuals, and groups, but she committed to getting clean as strongly as she had committed to getting drugs. Sharon Brown continued supporting her as her Safety Net Services case manager. Safety Net specifically targets two high-risk groups, women and recently released ex-offenders, often living on the streets. Knowing that willingness to accept help comes and goes, case managers meet clients where they are, ready to connect them to services they need when that window opens.

“Sharon was a big help,” says Dawn. “She’s always checked on us, made sure we have everything that we needed. I’m glad the outreach really latched on to [us].” But there was a big surprise for Dawn on her intake day. Nurse Barbara Garrity gave her the news at orientation.

“Now just to let you ladies know, when you get on methadone, it seems like it’s a lot easier to get pregnant. But Dawn, you’re already pregnant!”

“Oh! Really? Wow, that’s quite a surprise!”

“Yes! But we have a program just for pregnant women."

Dawn was 4 weeks along. Her surprise quickly turned to motivation to stick with treatment. She was determined to deliver a healthy baby. She was transferred to the pregnant and parenting women's program, which assists over 20 clients every year to deliver drug free babies. Her counselor, Aja Redmond, linked her with prenatal care, helped her identify her triggers for drug use, and taught her about FAS and nutrition. Four months into treatment, Dawn was staying abstinent. Things were going well. It was then that the couple received another surprise.

“We’re having twins! Oh, wow… two babies? How are we going to do this?”

“Don’t worry, Dawn, we can deal with it. Just one more obstacle in our way.”

“This is so difficult… I’m staying clean and doing what I need to do, but every day something else comes up.”

“Yeah, it would probably be easier to go back to the streets and start gettin’ high. But look at all the good things we’ve accomplished. We’ve come too far to throw it all away.”

And so, preparing for twins became the latest challenge in their shared journey to recovery. “We were already together when we were looking to get clean. We weren’t willing to separate for any reason, so we had to do it together.” Dawn recalls. “[It helped,] having somebody to walk through it with you, share all the ups and downs, and remind you how far you’ve come and where you still want to go.”

Dawn had support not only from her boyfriend, but from Aja and the women's program. She redoubled her efforts to set and achieve goals, worked on her parenting skills, and cut back on smoking. As her due date approached, a case manager made a home visit, making sure they had food, clothes, and baby furniture. On May 15, Dawn gave birth to healthy, identical twin boys.

“Being in a relationship and having the babies helped me get clean, because it gave me a reason to want to move forward in life,” she says. “Having the children and having a partner that loves you and is there for you, gave me my life back.”

Today, Dawn’s children are 4 months old, and she is nearing one year clean. She is a picture of composure as she tells her story and tends to her sons at the same time. She shifts one baby from her arms into a stroller to pick up the other, then reverses again. As they fuss, she remains calm and soothing, wiping mouths, giving them their bottles, even laughing cheerfully to herself as her son’s expression changes from restless to content. She shows no trace of her former life on the streets, sleeping at bus stops. She looks like a mom.

“I think for the two of us to go from where we were, to where we are now, it’s all pretty much thanks to Brandywine. This is the longest period of clean time either one of us has had. Being able to come up here every day and be accountable for your actions, and have people checking in on you, along with the medication that you get, has made us successful.”

Dawn sees a bright future ahead for her family. Life is not simply about surviving anymore; it’s about building a future for herself and for them. They’ve moved into a relative’s house, and they have a car. She hopes to one day own a home, put the children in a good school, and go back to school herself. For now, she wants to stay clean and sober, enjoy family life, and continue to build her support system. She’s on the right course again, and it all started with a friendly face offering food and shelter, no strings attached.

“It feels like a blessing. It feels that God was with me all along, and He’s looked out for me, and that He made a way for me to get better, and as long as I continue to follow it, things will continue to get better. It hasn’t been easy for us at all, but we’ve been able to get through it. I’m very happy with the way things are now.”

Brandywine Counseling services are funded by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, SAMHSA/CSAT; and Delaware Health and Social Services, Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health. For more information, please call 302-656-2348.

Delaware's Homeless Veteran Stand Down

On Sunday October 31, 2009, the Homeless Planning Council of Delaware will be hosting the first Delaware 2009 Stand Down/Veterans’ Employment Expo. This will be a one day event to begin at 9 am and end at 5 pm. This event will take place at the Nur Temple, 198 South DuPont Highway, New Castle, Delaware located on route 13 just before the 13/40 split.

Stand Down refers to a grassroots, community-based intervention program designed to help the nation’s estimated 200,000 homeless veterans “combat” life on the streets.

The schedule of activities is as follows:

9-10 am - Breakfast & Registration (Quick Registration is done at the door; however every Veteran needs to be registered with the VA inside of the Stand Down Room)

10-12 pm - VA Services Discussion (Veterans will have the opportunity to hear about all of the services offered at the VA Medical Center – time will be allowed for Veterans to visit the different ‘departments’ and to have individual conversations about the services provided.)

12–1 pm - Lunch & Networking

1-2 pm - Job Expo, Hair Cuts/Clothing Closet

2-4 pm - Community Providers Discussion (Community Providers will be set up at each of the 9 tables for Veterans to hear about the services offered in the community – time will be allowed for Veterans to have individual conversations about the services provided.)

4-4:30 pm - Fashion Show/Job Expo, Hair Cuts/Clothing Closet

4:30–5 pm - Closing Ceremony, Receive Backpacks o’ Goodies

· AA Meetings will be held in the Small Room during the VA Services Discussion and Community Providers Discussion times

· Volunteers will be available to assist Veterans to complete Forms during the Registration, Lunch, and Free Times (1-2 and 4-4:30)

Transportation will be provided to veterans throughout the State. For more information about transportation pick-up locations and times, please contact Susan Starrett at (302) 654-0126.

Brandywine Counseling Awarded Federal Funds for Homeless Program

Brandywine Counseling Awarded $1.75 Million in Federal Funds
5 Year Project Will Expand Treatment for Delaware’s Homeless

WILMINGTON, DE – (September 18, 2009) – Brandywine Counseling, Inc. (BCI), a non-profit provider of addiction, mental health, and HIV/AIDS services, today announced they have been awarded a five-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (SAMHSA/CSAT) to serve homeless substance abusers in Sussex County, Delaware.

The program will be called STEP, Support, Treatment, Engagement, and Prevention. It will admit 200 homeless substance abusers and conduct 400 assessments annually in rural Sussex County. The target population has an average substance abuse history of over 8 years, with 3 or more treatment failures and dependence on more than one substance. The average client has co-occurring addiction and mental illness; primary health care needs; and is involved in the criminal justice and/or child welfare system. STEP will address the system and clinical barriers that currently hinder their long-term stability and health; specifically, uncoordinated services that frequently have incompatible service requirements, lack of affordable permanent housing, and no public transportation in an area where services are geographically dispersed.

STEP will provide evidence-based interventions through an integrated nested services approach, including substance abuse, mental health and primary healthcare treatment in conjunction with intensive case management and ancillary services. BCI will partner with a network of affiliated agencies, including La Red Health Center, Crisis House, and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. The primary goal of STEP is to improve stability, health, and quality of life by facilitating sobriety, treating mental health symptoms, treating health issues, stabilizing and improving housing and employment, and reducing criminal activity.

Sen. Edward E. Kaufman (D-Del.) said of the award, “The grant that Brandywine Counseling was awarded will provide proven services to those most in need. Groups like La Red and Crisis House, along with the Department of Veterans Affairs, have turned around countless lives through the years, and this funding will allow them to expand their ability to help in Sussex County. My hope is that this opens hopeful and recuperative doors to the downtrodden who have nowhere left to turn.”

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). SAMHSA’s vision, “A Life in the Community for Everyone,” is based on the premise that people of all ages, with or at risk for mental or substance use disorders, should have the opportunity for a fulfilling life that includes a job/education, a home, and meaningful personal relationships with friends and family. SAMHSA works to achieve this vision through an action-oriented, measurable mission of “Building Resilience and Facilitating Recovery.”

Brandywine Counseling, Inc. is a community organization that provides holistic care to persons and their families living with addiction, mental health, and HIV-related challenges. BCI is Delaware’s largest provider of addiction services, serving over 2,000 clients age 18 and over at seven locations statewide. For more information, please visit brandywinecounseling.org.

For more information on STEP, please contact Sheera Lipshitz, Director of Sussex County Services at 302-856-4700.

Recovery Act Grant Will Bring Vocational Services to BCI Sussex

BCI has been awarded a grant to add a vocational training program in Sussex County. The program will teach clients financial autonomy and help them find and keep employment. It will serve 100 clients in Project Renewal, who typically are homeless, have a substance abuse history of over 8 years, and have three or more treatment failures.

The vocational services are a much-needed addition to Project Renewal’s outpatient and intensive outpatient substance abuse treatment, mental health and primary healthcare treatment, intensive case management, and ancillary services. Our goal is, at six months after admission, for 50% of clients to have improved employment and income.

The grant funds are part of the 2009 Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) fund. First State Community Action Agency, in partnership with the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services/Division of State Service Centers awarded these one-time funds for the period July 15, 2009 through September 30, 2010.

The goals of the CSBG Recovery Act are:
A. Reduction of poverty serving individuals and/or families at or below 200% of poverty guidelines;
B. Empowerment of low-income individuals and/or families to become self-sufficient; and
C. Revitalization of low-income communities.

Homelessness in Delaware: 2009 Point In Time Study

The Homeless Planning Council of Delaware has released their 2009 Point-in-Time Study. The publication examines Delaware's homeless population on January 27, 2009 and also provides a comparative analysis with previous years.

Among the findings:

• 34% of those with a disability experienced mental illness.
• 31% of those with a disability experienced substance abuse.
• Nearly 40% reported that they have been incarcerated.
• About one out of 10 have spent time in foster care, are veterans, or were homeless that night as a result of domestic violence.

Homelessness remains a problem in our state that affect us all. Services like BCI's Project Renewal remain necessary to improve the stability, health and quality of life for homeless substance abusers, by facilitating sobriety, treating mental health symptoms, treating health issues, stabilizing and improving housing and employment, and reducing criminal activity.

More Homelessness Seen in Sussex County

From today's News Journal: Crisis House in Sussex forced to send people away.

Truly some staggering numbers:

"In January and February alone, the shelter had to turn away 103 men, 76 women and 73 children -- more people than went through its doors in all of 2008."

Must-Reads 1/23/09

It's time again for our occasional series where we share some of our favorite posts from around the blogosphere dealing with addiction, recovery, and related issues.

The Give and the Take
Jim Atkinson looks at what alcohol added to his life when he first started drinking, and what it took away that made him stop.

Please Don’t Forget
From L.A.’s Homeless Blog, a poem about the unsolved murder of a homeless man. Heart-wrenching.

What If There Were an Alcoholic Gene?
A question from Etta at The Second Road.

Report: Needle Exchange Program Finds Mixed Success in Atlantic City
The challenges of NEP startup in neighboring New Jersey.

On MLK, Jr. Day: I, Too, Have a Dream
From the World of Psychology blog, some timely thoughts on stigma and the mentally ill.

Sussex County's Soup Lady

Every Tuesday Dale Dunning stops by Brandywine Counseling Georgetown to deliver soup to our clients, many of whom are homeless. Dale runs Jusst Sooup Ministry, which is a soup kitchen on wheels, but much more. She distributes basic necessities to the most needy in Sussex County. The Cape Gazette has a nice article about how she got started with just an idea and the desire to help.

Dale is always punctual and happy to feed our clients. Some of them who have a community service requirement have done volunteer work with her organization. Besides soup, she’s brought us bagels, hot pretzels, sandwiches, and whatever she can get her hands on at the time. At Christmas she brought a big pot of cocktail wienies that were a big hit.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, the soup is wonderful! Gloria, the supervisor at Georgetown, says her favorite is the potato, broccoli, and cheese. She also likes the wedding soup and chili.

Thanks Dale for all you do!

Photo c/o Ron Macarthur, Cape Gazette

Must-Reads 12/4/08

From time to time, we're going to share with you some "must-read" posts we found around the blogosphere dealing with addiction, recovery, and related issues.

Beyond Recovery? The Discovering Alcoholic looks at a prescription heroin program in Switzerland and asks, can one be so far into their addiction as to be beyond recovery?

Are You All In? As the holiday shopping season gets underway, Alix at The Second Road ponders whether consumerism is a form of addiction. Especially now that it can end in fatality.

Five Million Americans Attend Self-Help Groups, SAMHSA Estimates – And nearly half of those who did were abstinent from drugs and alcohol in the past month.

Ask a Homeless Person: What Does Poverty Mean? – The Center for Respite Care Blog puts this question to their clients.

Leaders and Role Models - Action Strategy – The Tutor/Mentor Connection looks at how athletes or local celebrities can mobilize public support for a community organization. Any famous Delawareans out there who want to help out BCI? Get in touch!

Friends & Families Picnic to Reunite Formerly Homeless Men with Their Families

You are invited to the Gateway House/Brandywine Counseling

Don Hofmann Memorial

FRIENDS AND FAMILY PICNIC

Saturday, July 19, from Noon until 5 pm

At Wilmington's Brandywine Park

(Next to the Wilmington Zoo)

BRING YOUR CHAIRS AND BLANKETS!!

If you would like to bring your favorite party dish

to share with the group that would be great!! (This is strictly optional)

The Friends and Family Picnic is a free, public event open to the community. The picnic gives Gateway House residents an opportunity to bring their families into their life in a non-threatening situation. Many residents need to mend relations with their families because of mistakes they made during their drug and alcohol addiction. The picnic is a welcome opportunity for friends and families to join in a resident’s new life.

Gateway House provides long-term, permanent housing for homeless men who are willing/ready to address the issues that caused or contributed to their being homeless. An estimated 29% of Delaware’s homeless report chronic substance abuse. With housing and treatment programs, many are able to overcome their addiction and become productive members of the workforce and society. Brandywine Counseling is proud to partner with Gateway House to put on this event.

Looking forward to seeing all our Friends and extended Family!!

Support Delaware's 10 Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness

John Baker of AIDS Delaware has written an editorial to draw attention to the need for more housing for people with HIV/AIDS in our state. "A Wealthy State Fails to House Its Sick" describes how we could fill the need for hundreds of beds if the state would fund a plan that has been brought before the legislature. The cost of this plan would be offset by reducing the burden on our emergency rooms and hospitals. Studies show that the stability that comes with housing enables patients to improve their health.

Your help is needed for this plan to become law.

The state of Delaware has a responsibility to invest the money needed to house people with AIDS and others who are chronically ill. Right now, we are all paying far too much.

Please contact your legislators and ask them to support and fund the "10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness."

5 Questions for Krystal Cooper, Receptionist

5 Questions is our ongoing feature where we introduce you to the people who make Brandywine Counseling run, spotlighting a different staff member every two weeks.

Name: Krystal Cooper
Job: Receptionist, Georgetown Center
Time with BCI: 2 years

1. Tell us what you do at BCI.
A little bit of everything. I call myself a mini-counselor because I normally see the clients before they go up and see their counselor. I hear all their problems before their counselor does. [To do this job,] you have to be a people person, because you’re the first person people see and you’re the last person people see, so you have to leave a good impression or they’re not going to want to come back. I also have to take the phone calls, at the same time I’m giving out a urine [drug screen], the same time I’m typing up a letter. So it’s a lot of multi-tasking, but a little bit of everything!

2. What made you decide to work in the addiction treatment field?
It’s really funny. There was no reason, it just fell into my lap! I was working at Seaside Endoscopy and the doctors were closing the practice. I’m a mother of three children and I couldn’t not have a job, and I was really worried about it. My boss over there said, “Well, let me call my friend Shay [Lipshitz], and see if she knows anything in Georgetown that might be available.” So she called Shay, and Shay says, “Oh, my receptionist just put in her resignation!” So I came over for an interview, and the job kind of fell in my lap!

3. Tell us about the clients you see in Georgetown and what it’s like to work with them.
A lotta, lotta homeless. I’d say probably 80% of our clients are homeless. Some of the stories and things that I hear are very upsetting and scary. But a lot of them are strong willed. They are in shelters, but they are out looking for jobs and homes, and they’re really strong people.

They can fall flat on their face, and they get up and they try it again. And they may fall again, but they try it again. And it’s really put my life into perspective. All the sad things that I think happened in my life, how horrible it is, it doesn’t compare to some people. And if they can get back up and keep going, and try again, then there’s no reason that I shouldn’t be able to.

One of the clients here had lost her children, and she was living in a shelter. She was here for probably two years. And now she has been discharged successfully. She’s got her own apartment. She’s got her kids back. She’s working full time, and she’s actually taking some classes and going to school.

4. Many of our staff decorate their office with personal items. Tell us what you have in your office.
I like to decorate with funny stuff. I have family pictures back here, but behind me I’ve got the cat holding itself, it’s about to pee on itself. We always laugh at that. Butch [Hovis] gave that to me. And up here I have funny pictures, like “Your boss is picking on you,” that’s supposed to be Shay and me, and everyone in the office who’s driving me crazy. So just funny things, and sayings. A lot of sayings like, “Sobriety losing its priority equals slip.” Just funny stuff, inspirational stuff. I have books that Frank [Cassidy] and the other staff give me, that I like to type up once in awhile, and I change them out and put them up. So, just little stuff to catch people’s eye, and while they’re sitting here, stuff to read. And my monkey that’s supposed to be on your back.

5. If you had $30,000 to donate to BCI, what would you do with it?
It would probably go to The Lighthouse Program. It’s new, and I would want to build a playground for the children. I’m a mom, and I really love that, and I think they need a new playground.

5 Questions for Chris Zebley, Nurse Practitioner

5 Questions is our ongoing feature where we introduce you to the people who make Brandywine Counseling run, spotlighting a different staff member every two weeks.

Name: Chris Zebley
Job: Nurse Practitioner
Time with BCI: 4 years

1. What is your job at BCI?
I’m a board certified adult nurse practitioner and HIV specialist. I actually work for Christiana Care Health System. My department is the Community HIV Program. I collaborate with Dr. Szabo, who’s an infectious disease physician, and we run an HIV clinic here at the Lancaster site every Tuesday morning. The whole idea was to allow a one stop shop to get your mental health, your substance abuse treatment, and if you’re HIV positive, to get your HIV medical care under one roof. We call it “nested services.”

2. What services do you provide to BCI clients?
A nurse practitioner can treat acute and chronic illnesses throughout the lifespan, along with having prescribing privileges. I can practice independently, whereas a physician assistant must have supervision.

The services I provide include case management and treating acute illnesses. The clients who come in to see me generally present with maybe a tooth abscess, bronchitis, a skin infection, sprains or strains. The client may be unable to see their primary care physician, or worse yet, because of their addiction, might not see it to be a priority to take care of their health. I make referrals to dentists, PCP’s, foot and eye appointments. On occasion I’ll refer them to the ER, and I can call people that I know in the emergency room. There’s many, many things that I’ve done for people as part of referrals and such.

In my HIV clinic I have around 35 clients. I get referrals from my department, from NSAFE upstairs, Outreach, or by word of mouth. The medical management of these clients is very intense, because the majority have “advanced disease,” so it’s my duty to assist them in maintaining optimal health. We treat patients with very, very heavy co-morbid conditions - Hepatitis C, heart failure, vascular problems. I may do pill planners to aid in the adherence of their medicines, treat any acute illnesses that may arise, and also provide health maintenance by making sure they have their necessary screenings, such as a colonoscopy, Pap smear, or mammogram.

On Fridays I usually do annual physicals for Dr. Glick, as well as intake physicals for methadone, Suboxone or Revia. I do part time work with the Medical Maintenance Level 2 program at Newark where the people come in once a month for their methadone.

I’ll be working hand in hand with Outreach on Safety Net Services. I’ll be providing case management, HIV medical care, and psychotropic medication management.

3. What drew you into a career in the addiction treatment field?
This is something that I grew into. In the hospital we’d always have people that were disadvantaged, and stigmatized in society - IV drug users, the homeless, HIV infected individuals. These were real people with real illnesses who never asked for anything, and were very appreciative of the care they received. And I always thought, I’d like to work with these individuals, because they had a lot of needs, simple needs, that could be fulfilled.

This was a job posting with Christiana Care. I was working in employee health as a nurse practitioner at the time. I happened to see this posting, and it was for the Riverfront. An HIV clinic, but you would be working in a methadone clinic. I didn’t even know what a methadone clinic was, really. I didn’t realize how many people actually go to these places.

There were many people telling me, “You’re not gonna like it. You’re gonna regret taking that job.” You can’t go on hearsay. If I’d really listened to people, I might not be here today. I would not even have taken the position. I had to experience that for myself. And from day one, it was fine, it was nothing like what people told me it was going to be. I enjoyed it from day one. Because we’re able to meet the people’s needs, that’s a big thing.

4. If you had $30,000 to donate to BCI, what would you do with it?
Certainly the Outreach. They’re the ones that get people in here. They do so much good, whether it’s the food closet, or the clothes closet, and to help for that needle exchange to grow. As we see the research and the data come down, I’m sure the federal government and the state will allow us to expand. But that’s been a plus here for Brandywine Counseling. I’ve done intakes and I asked them, “Well, how did you know to come here?” And they said, “Well, it was the needle exchange.” That’s an indicator that it’s working.

I’d also open more transitional housing, because recently the CDC announced that homelessness is now the single largest contributor to HIV infectivity.

5. What is it like to work with these clients?
You’ve really got to like people in their worst condition, and in their good condition. And that’s what nursing is about, the human response to illness.

These people are survivors. They’re very, very smart. They could be executives if they could put their mind to more positive things. Some of these people could have been very, very wealthy and rich, the way they’ve been able to hustle, to get money for drugs. People have written about, if we could only find out how these people, the disenfranchised, tick, and how they’ve been able to survive these harsh illnesses, without a lot of medicine, then we could treat a lot of other illnesses cost effectively without using medications.

My first patient that I ever saw [now] comes here for take-homes twice a week, so they’ve been drug free for almost two years. I have them come in for support, and they’re part of my HIV clinic too. To me that’s a success story, because they know that they can come in at any time, whether they can see their counselor or not. To really see this person get out of the deepest, darkest abyss, where they were constantly using, and she’s not now, so she’ll continue in her recovery. That was pretty cool, to actually see that.

5 Questions for Steve Burns, Housing Coordinator

5 Questions is our ongoing feature where we introduce you to the people who make Brandywine Counseling run, spotlighting a different staff member every two weeks.

Name: Steve Burns
Job: Housing Coordinator, Project Return Transition House
Time with BCI: 13 years

1. Tell us about your job at BCI and the clients you work with.
I’m the House Coordinator for the transitional residential program, where we have six individual Brandywine clients for housing. We help them get jobs, we help them save money, we help them get different skills, we help them go to school. Whatever they want to do, we try to help them better themselves, so when they leave, they’ll be in better shape than they were before they came.

We try to get clients that are already clean and already have some kind of positive outlook or some kind of direction. But sometimes, when a person’s in a homeless situation, none of that’s possible. So first, we try to stabilize the client with their methadone dose. Whatever street drugs they’re using, we get them to stop doing that. Then, in the first 30 days, we try to find out which direction they want to go in. Do they want to go to school, do they want to get a job? But this is not a shelter, it’s not emergency housing, this is a transition house, and we’re trying to help you do something more positive in your life.

2. What advice do you have for someone who would like to do the job you do?
You have to have patience, and you have to have knowledge of what it’s like to be homeless. You don’t have to be homeless, but at least have some knowledge, some background, some schooling, some conversation. Just being able to understand and identify with a homeless person. Because a lot of times, people are homeless for a reason, they’re not just homeless because they don’t have a job and money. 75% of people who are homeless have either alcohol or drug addiction problems. 80% of them have mental health issues. A lot of them come from broken homes, no parent in the home, abuse of some kind. It’s just a lot of things that factor into a person being homeless. So on any given day, you may find out something about one of your residents that you never knew, but now you see why they act the way they act.

3. Tell us about your favorite client success story.
We had a female client at the transition house who was there when I came. We didn’t get along. Being in recovery and doing this as long as I’ve been doing it, I can kind of see different behaviors. And so I always addressed her on her behaviors, because I thought that that would be one of her downfalls, as far as her staying clean or relapsing, and she could never understand.
But in the end, she graduated from the program. She has a job, she has an apartment, she has a bank account, and she’s still doing good. And we’re great now, because through it all, now when she sees me, she says, “Thank you for staying on me. You know, I couldn’t see it then, but I had never saved money, never had my own place, I’ve never had my own job. Now I have all those things. I have recovery, I have a sponsor.”

4. Your involvement with the recovering community goes beyond your job at Brandywine. You’re also the President of the 1212 Club. What does it mean to you to be involved in that work?
Being the President of the 1212 Corporation is very rewarding, because it’s a place where people can come. It’s a safe haven. You can just come, relax, look at TV, play cards, have meetings, get yourself something to eat. I have some other people that are in recovery that are on the board with me. We work together because we want the 1212 to be a place where it’s safe to come. We want people from Brandywine to come. We’re doing something right now [with Advancing Recovery and clients from the Alpha Program], where we’re going to do some recovery coaching stuff, to see how it works.

The majority of our people don’t have skills, they don’t have education, so they need housing, they need education, they need jobs. We have a job training program. It’s not just 12 Step meetings -- that’s the most important part -- but a lot of times people say, “What’s the purpose of me staying clean if I don’t have a job, if I don’t have affordable decent housing. If I have to go back to the projects where I came from, I’m doomed.” So at the 1212, we try to help people to get to that next level in their recovery.

5. If you had $30,000 to donate to BCI, what would you do with it?
I probably would put it into transitional housing and the great work that we do with HIV and AIDS. I think those are two important parts right now.

The transition house used to just be open to Hope clients, Assertive Treatment Team clients. Now, since it’s open to anybody who qualifies, it has broadened the scale, and I would like to see us get more houses, get more space. Because I’m filled now, but every day there’s another counselor asking me, “Steve, do you have a bed? Steve do you have a bed?” People leave me messages, “Steve, do you have a bed?” So I think would be another great feat for Brandywine if we could expand that program.

Homelessness and Addiction: Four Clients' Stories

The Cape Gazette featured Project Renewal in one of a series of articles about homelessness in Delaware. Four clients in various stages of recovery share their stories.

Other articles in this four part series look at Casa San Francisco, the struggle for the homeless to find shelter, and what the state proposes to do about homelessness.