Continuing Care and the Silver Chip Program

Halfway Status: A client transitions into Silver Chip immediately after completing Step 12 of the program. While in this phase, he or she must maintain the employment they obtained at Step 12, observe a curfew, attend at least five AA/NA meetings a week, and attend at least one weekly continuing care support group (comparable to Phase I community). Rent must be paid weekly. (Women pay $42 a week, with a two week deposit; men pay $56 a week, with a two week deposit.) Clients are able to take two passes a month. Pass requests are reviewed and granted by the Silver Chip teams. Note: We have two Silver Chip "teams." The men's is made up of the two Continuing Care staff, plus three Detox staff. The women's is made up of one Continuing Care staff, plus two Detox staff. Since many Silver Chippers are here when regular staff is off, this arrangement allows us to meet needs that come up during evening hours.

Three-quarter Status: When a client shows that he or she is stable, i.e.; holding down a steady job, attending all required meetings, addressing outside issues, the Silver Chip team gives that client more freedom by moving him or her into a status that gives that person more freedom. Only two nights a week must be spent on campus; however, he or she must interact with other clients while he is here and s/he must continue to make required meetings. Note: If a client who is three-quarter gets behind on rent, that person loses his or her status. If a halfway client gets behind, he or she is sent to overnight until rent is current. This is handled on an individual basis, and we take into consideration that client's circumstances. The community can vote a client back into halfway status or the program.

Support Services: At Step 10 of the program, clients take a series of life skills classes. These are designed to help the client begin thinking about what he or she must address outside THP. Individual legal issues, educational concerns, etc. are dealt with one-on-one when the client is in Silver Chip. The client's ability to resolve outside issues can be gauged through a battery of assessments, including the Myers-Briggs, a basic TABE academic assessment, and a short vocational test. These also help clients when they get ready to go to vocational school, college, or start work on his GED. We do not want to set people up for failure.

Employment: Continuing Care begins helping women and men find jobs while those clients are finishing up Step 12. All our employers know they are hiring people with addiction problems, and that these people are required to make AA meetings and mandatory support group meetings at THP while they live here. Both employers and employees know that Continuing Care will monitor a client's work progress. If a client relapses, has a negative attitude, arrives late, etc,

Employers will usually work with us to get employees back on track. In addition, the community will hold people accountable who are inappropriate on the job.

The Healing Place provides transportation “to facilitate our clients’ and residents’ ability to work.”

Housing: Continuing Care uses a variety of housing options: Homeless Families Assistance Program, Shelter Plus Care, HOME Program, and Homeward Bound to get people (especially clients with children) into subsidized housing. There is a critical housing shortage in the Metro area that has slowed this process considerably. We refer to Follow Up for Success at Volunteers of America for help with furnishings, deposits, and case management. Most of our clients are not eligible for Section 8 subsidized housing. We provide case management for a few people on Shelter Plus Care and Homeward Bound. We also continue some case management in conjunction with Follow Up for Success.

Education: A representative from Kentuckiana College Access Center talks to clients during life skills about educational opportunities in the area. He will then work one-on-one with clients to ensure that they are able to navigate the educational system, which includes college, graduate school, and vocational school. He and his coworkers also help clients with defaulted student loans and other issues that may stand in the way of furthering their education. We also have a list of all the GED sites in the city and help clients get hooked up with a site they can access easily and that fits into their schedules.

Legal: Continuing Care works one-on-one with clients. Local pro-bono attorneys will help to lift active warrants. Most often multiple phone calls are necessary to different states in order to resolve legal issues. We need a source of legal information to give us direction in resolving out-of-state issues.

Budget and credit counseling: Learning how to manage money wisely is as important as learning how to read. Continuing Care provides each client of The Healing Place and each resident of a Healing Place-affiliated housing development with a full array of budget and credit counseling services. We help clients and residents take control of their financial future by learning the fundamentals of developing achievable budgets and action steps to help individuals set and achieve financial goals.
Each participant is given guidance in handling financial situations common among our constituents, including child support, restitution, and saving for deposits (e.g., for utilities and permanent housing). Participants also receive free credit reports, assistance with debt consolidation, and bankruptcy counseling. Staff also refer participants to the appropriate IRS location for resolution of tax problems.

Pluses: We have a system that maximizes the services of a small staff.

All alums in good standing are eligible for consultation with the Continuing Care staff.

Empathy and commitment by a peer-driven support team help clients face their outstanding issues.

Case management is holistic. We try to help the client no matter what he or she is facing.

Our case management is in place to remove problems that might stand in the way of good, solid recovery, and we try to teach people how to problem solve as we work with them on their issues.

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