The thousands of people who have graduated from The Healing
Place did so by utilizing three essential elements after detox.
In the first, new clients learn the 12 step program to addiction
recovery. Davidson calls this the “classroom homework” part.
The second puzzle piece asks clients to role model for each other,
to interact with others every day. “These men and women are
living with each other day and night. They can learn from each
other, share their experiences, strength and hope as well as past
tragedies and painful experiences,” said Davidson.
In addition to peers in the program, each Healing Place client
has peers volunteering as staff. Alumni volunteers stay at The
Healing Place for 90 days after they have completed their own
six-month program. They live on campus, role model recovery
and share their experiences with new addicts joining the program.
“The peer mentors are the hook,” said Davidson. “They have
instant credibility with those coming off the street. They can
stand in front of the group and say, ‘Seven months ago, I was
over in detox and I worked my way through this program. So if I
can do it, you can do it.’ ”
The third element is accountability. Three times each week,
clients meet in groups to hold each other accountable for inappropriate behavior. Though hosted by a program director, those
in recovery participate actively. For Davidson, this face to face
interaction is the key to The Healing Place’s success.
Photos (left to right) The Womenís Healing Place building; THP President
Karyn Hascal and THP Chairman Jay Davidson; THP clients worked for Louisvilleís Give A Day project building beds for students at Jefferson County
Public Schools; Kitchen staff at the womenís campus baked holiday pies; A
group of THP clients outside the menís facility.
are all barriers. So we don’t ask those questions.”
The Healing Place is an entirely voluntary program, free to the
addict in need. As such, it is almost always completely full. “There
is more need than we have capacity. The Coalition for the Homeless does an annual survey authenticating the number of people
on the street. They document around 6,000 single men and
2,000 single women on the street in a given year,” said Davidson,
noting that 50 percent of those who are homeless self-reported
“addiction to alcohol or drugs.”
This means at least 3,000 of Louisville’s homeless population
could use the help offered by The Healing Place. Currently however, The Healing Place has only 464 beds (224 beds at the men’s
campus and 240 beds at the women’s). This will change soon, as
a brand new men’s facility is currently in development, designed
to almost double the amount of men the campus can care for
and the amount of detoxification available.
“These men are together 24/7. There are no secrets. Sure, not
everyone knows everything about everyone, but there are enough
individuals that know something that when people come together
they can work out almost any problem,” Davidson said. “After six
months, you’ve stayed and made changes, because if you haven’t
made changes, you’ve left.”
As heroin usage continues to surge in Louisville and across Kentucky, the need for The Healing Place has increased as well. “The
pressure from the city and our other partners such as University
Hospital, Louisville Metro Corrections and Emergency Medical
Services continues to build because The Healing Place is the
logical solution to a lot of the heroin problem,” said Hascal.
“We’re a one trick pony. We do addiction recovery and we do it
well. We’ll keep figuring out ways to get more people in here. We
are available for folks who need us.”
As these issues are addressed, THP clients begin to look outside
the structure of the organization. They begin to look for a job, an
education, a home. It’s at that point where they graduate from
clients to alumni.
The Healing Place has been a shining example of the way in
which addicts can find recovery thanks to the care of their peers.
However, it wouldn’t exist without people realizing they have a
problem. If you suspect a family member of addiction, confront it.
While in the program, clients are charged no fees. Detox is free.
Room and board are free. Three square meals a day, all free. “The
only criteria is, ‘Do you want to be here?’ ” said Hascal. “Addicts
already feel really bad about themselves because they’re experiencing failure on every front: employment, family, friends… So
when you ask them if they have any money, their interpretation
is that this is yet another failure and another barrier. Insurance
is a barrier, legal problems, family problems, medical problems
“Don’t let the elephant in the room sit there,” said Davidson.
“Challenge it. Confront the broken promises. Intervene. But don’t
push them away. Say ‘I love you and there is help.’ The biggest
challenge is to get the individual to realize they need help and that
there’s a solution. There are a lot of different treatment options
out there, and there’s always The Healing Place.”
VITAL SIGNS Volume 9 • Issue 3
For more information about The Healing Place, call (502) 5854848 or visit www.thehealingplace.org.
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