Restoration Programs

Both Charis House and The Rescue Mission have programs designed to help our men, women and children to reach the potential God created within each of them.

Residents who apply for the six-month Intensive Restoration Program are placed in a Pre-Intensive Screening Program for four to eight weeks (depending upon openings available in the Intensive program). This allows staff time to assess the appropriateness of the applicant for the Intensive Program and determine whether he or she is likely to have success in completing it. During this time, the applicant is assigned chores at the Mission or Charis House, attends chapel services and must attend five twelve-step or support groups in the community, depending upon the recovery issues with which they are struggling. Each resident also attends two group sessions per week for education, reflection and Bible study.

Following assessment and staff approval, the applicant is placed in the Intensive Restoration Program. This program is designed for those individuals who have been unable to maintain an independent living lifestyle even with the help of various community agencies. Residents who are accepted into the program must make a commitment to stay a minimum of six more months.

During our Intensive Program, residents attend therapeutic groups, classes, Bible studies and Chapel services for at least 4 hours per day, five days per week. Also, they are in the Learning Center for 1½ hours per day. Many of our residents attend various 12-Step and other support groups three times per week in the community, which aids in their developing healthy connections outside our walls.

All residents are assigned 15-20 hours of family chores per week. Our residents assist in the kitchen and dining room, and do cleaning, laundry, lawn and snow removal services, telephone answering, work in our thrift store and many other things that allow them to contribute to their Mission family.

In our Intensive Program the residents learn:

To effectively cope with their feelings;
To care for themselves spiritually, emotionally, physically and financially;
To identify their thinking errors and how to make responsible choices;
To set healthy boundaries in their relationships;
To respect and accept differences in one another;
To identify the effects alcohol, tobacco and other drugs have on people and their lives;
To apply addiction recovery tools to their lives so they can avoid relapsing into self-destructive behavior;
To express themselves in positive, effective and healthy ways;
To be a better parent;
To face their past and heal from it;
To apply the Bible’s teachings to their daily lives and to develop a deeper relationship with God;
To be resilient in the face of adversity.

In addition to teaching from our trained clinical and professional staff, our restoration programs involve hundreds of staff and volunteers each year as we seek to be the Body of Christ working together to serve Him through serving His children.

Transitional Programs

Once residents successfully complete the Intensive Program, they may move into the Transitional or Self-Sufficiency Programs, which allow them to focus on continuing to grow according to their needs. Some residents are ready to seek employment, others are seeking disability benefits and housing, and yet others desire to continue their education by pursuing higher education opportunities. They continue attending Bible studies, 12-Step and other support groups and meetings with their case manager to monitor their growth and progress toward moving back into the community. They may also continue family chores and attend the Learning Center for additional training in computer literacy or preparation for the GED test.

Men and women who move into our Self-Sufficiency Program get jobs and begin saving money so they may move into their own housing. Participants in this program usually move within 6 months into independent living. We provide counseling and case management services while they are in the program. Residents also have access to the Learning Center if they want to become more proficient in computer literacy or any of the other skills offered there.

The programs are led by our ministers, our licensed mental health counselors, our licensed drug and alcohol addiction counselors, and our case managers. Volunteers lead some of our Bible studies, classes and evening chapel services.

All in all, our restoration programs involve hundreds of staff and volunteers each year. We are truly the Body of Christ working together to serve Him through serving his children.