Program Capacity and Services

The House of Hope is conveniently located at 908 S.W. 1^st Street, Ft. Lauderdale.  The original house could accommodate approximately 18 men.  Today, with its auxiliary building and grounds, this facility has the capacity to house 92 men simultaneously and has helped thousands from diverse background.

Stepping Stones is conveniently located at 901 N.E. 17th Street, Ft. Lauderdale.  Stepping Stones has grown from an original population of 8 to a capacity of 42 women. 

Today the House of Hope and Stepping Stones are operated under the umbrella of House of Hope, Inc. and Doing Business As The House of Hope/Stepping Stones. 

HOH / SS is non-profit, Department of Children and Families (DCF) licensed Residential Level II facilities.  HOH / SS holds the maximum three-year Accreditation from CARFThe Rehabilitation Accreditation Commission.  CARF accreditation reflects our commitment to these values and beliefs:

v      All people have the right to be treated with dignity and respect.

v      All people should have access to needed services that achieve optimal outcomes.

v      All people should be empowered to exercise informed choice.

v      The continuous improvement of both organizational management and service delivery.

v      Diversity and cultural competency in all activities and associations

v      Enhancing the involvement of persons served in all of HOH / SS activities.

v      Having persons served be active participants in the development and application of standards of accreditation.

v      Enhancing the meaning, value, and relevance of accreditation to the persons served.

 PROGRAM PHILOSOPHY AND GOALS

 The philosophy and goals of the program is the same as the philosophy and goals of the organization and is restated below for clarity:

v      House of Hope and Stepping Stones provides services to adults having substance abuse disorders, as well as those who suffer from a co-occurring disorder, regardless of age, race, religion, national origin, disability, gender, sexual orientation or socio-economic status. No one is denied services based solely on a lack of funds.

v      The person served being the most important person, is not dependent upon us; we are dependent upon them.  They do not represent an interruption of our work; they are the purpose of our work. and provides the reason we are here.

v      It is our job to assist each person served in a manner that is beneficial to their recovery and the program. 

v      We will help our person served return to the community with a comprehensive body of knowledge, skills, attitudes and an understanding of the concepts of 12-Step Programs that will help facilitate their journey of recovery.

v      We believe in the development of our employees skills and knowledge as well as the recovery of the person served.

v      We believe that treatment curriculum must be designed to meet the needs of the person served and must be holistic in nature.

v      We believe that recovery, stability and integration back into the community are feasible for the great majority of our person served.

v      We welcome our responsibility to the community; the persons we serve and employees and as an organization we strive to improve everything we do.

v      We accept our responsibility to enhance public safety by reducing the recidivism of person served.

 PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

 HOH / SS is organized and designed as an Integrated Alcohol and Other Drugs/Mental Health facility, providing a combination of alcohol and other drugs/addictions and mental health services.  Services are provided through a seamless system of care for adult men and women (18+ years old) with needs in one or both areas or identified co-occurring disorders. 

 HOH / SS utilizes a Modified Therapeutic Communities Model, providing a highly structured residential environment or continuum of care in which the primary goals are the treatment of substance abuse and mental health services and the fostering of personal growth leading to personal accountability. 

 Integrated within the Modified Therapeutic Community Model, HOH / SS is the Criminal Justice program which serves special populations comprised of accused or adjudicated individuals referred from within the criminal justice system who are in need of treatment for behavioral health disorders including alcohol or other drug abuse or addiction, or psychiatric disabilities or disorders. 

 House of Hope and Stepping Stones accepts referrals from North Broward Hospital District, Broward House, Center One, Broward Addiction Recovery Center, and Ft. Lauderdale Hospital, Broward Sheriffs Office, Department of Correction, Department of Children & Families,  Broward Regional Health  Planning Council, the recovering community and from individuals and their families. We serve a very diverse population that truly reflects the communities of Broward County.  

 Staff Competencies:

 HOH / SS employs a cadre of experienced and professional staff primarily consisting of individuals with Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral degrees in Social Work, Mental Health Counseling, Education, Business, and Psychology, most are Certificated Addiction Professionals (CAP) or Certified Addictions Prevention Professionals (CAPP). In addition, the organization employs several individuals that are licensed as Psychologists and mental health Counselor (LMHC).  These individuals have a high degree of expertise, specialized training, and a rich spectrum of experience in the treatment of addictions, mental and physical health issues, criminal justice expertise, with a diverse population.  The staff understands the concepts of a Modified therapeutic Community as stated in the DOC manual and has understanding of the concept and interventions of therapeutic Communities as stated in the Red Book.

 To ensure adequate staffing to provide the services outlined and achieve optimum outcomes, HOH / SS observes a 12 to 1 ratio of persons served to primary counselor.  Although licensing requirements outlined in Florida Statute 65D-30 establishes a 15 to 1 ratio, HOH / SS believes that a lesser case load to counselor ratio provides the counselor with an enhanced ability to individualize the services to the strengths, needs, abilities, and preferences of each person served.

 HOH/SS staff is required to eliminate barriers that foster a differentiation between staff and persons served.  This differentiation is most often seen in the expectation that the treatment staff will be addressed with a title and surname while the persons served are addressed using their first names.  In the Modified Therapeutic Community the use of first names when addressing both staff and person served allows for a capacity to perceive each other as being in support rather than in control.  The removal of barriers by using first names ensure a lessening of the we versus they phenomenon.

 The expectation for staff of acting as if is to ensure the use of a basic concept in the Therapeutic Community. This TC concept encourages staff and persons served to behave or act as the person they should be and not in the way they have previously acted.  The acting as if is done despite any resistances, perceptions or feelings to the contrary. Staff and persons served are expected to engage in behaviors and exhibit attitudes and values of the community which include commitment to work and striving, positive regard for staff as authority and an optimistic outlook toward the future. In the TC these behaviors are not just an act toward conformity but are seen as a powerful mechanism for making a more complete psychological change. Changing behavior to act as if these concepts exemplify the person served and staff is the catalyst to changing feelings, insight and to an altered perception of ones self.

 Mutual help is a concept that indicates the importance of self help and effectively utilizing the help of others. Mutual help identifies the importance of working ones own recovery while assisting peers maintain their recovery. Staff is expected to encourage and support individuals through preserving the social support environment and the effective interface and support of the peer group. Staff is trained and is expected to utilize motivational interviewing and motivational enhancement intervention strategies in an effort to improve the stage of motivation and readiness for change of the person served.

 Staff competence as previously described is measured using the CODECAT as an objective review of the staff persons clinical competence in the delivery of effective cognitive behavioral and motivational enhancement strategies in an integrated behavioral healthcare environment. In addition, to ensure appropriate clinical supervision and weekly review of the treatment services,  HOH / SS has contracted with an independent licensed individual to provide all direct service personnel with on-going supervision and direction to address: 

v      Appropriateness of the treatment or service intervention selected relative to the specific needs of each person served. 

v      Treatment/service effectiveness as reflected by the person served meeting his or her individual goals. 

v      The provision of feedback that enhances the skills of direct service personnel. 

v      Accuracy of assessment and referral skills, when applicable.

 Case Managers, who provide support services, are Certified Associate Addiction Prevention Professionals 2 (CAAPP2). The balance of staff provide the additional support services in the areas of business services, information technology, front desk, kitchen, maintenance, transportation and peer specialists.

 Competency-based training relating to the services provided and populations served are provided on an on-going basis and documented in the employees personnel file.

 HOH / SS contracts with the North Broward Hospital District Healthcare For The Homeless, JACHO accredited service, to provide the needed medical, medication management and psychiatric services required of the population we serve.  Medical consultation is provided by the medical director.

 HOH / SS provide a culturally competent and sensitive environment to persons served with bilingual staff who speak Spanish.

 Facilities

 Adequate space is provided at both facilities to ensure efficient and effective delivery of the above listed services.  The dining room at each facility is designed to function for meals as well as large group meetings.  Counselor offices at each facility are designed to function for small group meetings as well as individual/family counseling. In addition, confidential interview rooms are available when scheduling conflicts arise.

 Financial resources are budgeted annually to ensure adequate materials are available to support the services indicated below.

 PROGRAM CAPACITY AND SERVICES

 In the past fifteen years we have made a remarkable transformation from primarily being a transition housing (halfway house) provider offering housing and support and some addiction treatment, to a comprehensive long-term treatment center for chemical dependency with an overlay of services for people with co-occurring disorders.

 The House of Hope/Stepping Stones (HOH / SS) is a non-secure residential behavioral health program, providing services Monday through Sunday.  We maintain awake paid staff coverage 24 hours-per-day, 7 days per week.  Emergency Call List procedures are in place at the front desk at both facilities to ensure after-hour contact with clinical management in the event of an incident beyond the scope of the person on duty.

 Breakfast, lunch and dinner and snacks are incorporated into the daily schedule to provide a nutritionally balanced diet. 

 HOH / SS does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, ethnicity, religious and/or cultural background, sexual orientation, gender, physical and/or psychological disability. 

 There are currently a total of 92 male beds, 42 female beds, 14 female transition housing and 14 male transition housing beds in four locations for a total of 162 beds.  The funding for the beds is designated as follows:

v      53-beds/Department Of Corrections (DOC) substance abuse 6-month treatment;

v      22 beds/DOC dual diagnosis beds;

v      37 beds/Department of Children and Families (DCF) 14 dual diagnosis beds; this includes required match beds.

 Our services are reflective of the needs of this population, relevant to their diversity, designed to be holistic in nature, to deal with all aspects of recovering individuals and the problems they have and must face to be better prepared to deal with life on lifes terms.

 HOH / SS employs community-imposed consequences and earned privileges as part of the recovery and growth process.  In addition to daily seminars, group counseling, and individual activities, the persons served are assigned responsibilities within the therapeutic community setting.  Persons served and staff members act as facilitators, emphasizing personal responsibility for ones own life and self-improvement.  The therapeutic community emphasizes the integration of an individual within his or her community, and progress is measured within the context of that communitys expectation. 

 The components listed in residential treatment are designed to be utilized in concert with each other or as stand-alone components.  Our treatment services include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Group and Individual Therapy This is based in cognitive-behavioral therapy, motivation enhancement therapy and relapse prevention.
• Psychiatric Services - Provide for those person served that may need additional help as they strive for recovery.
• Psychological Services Psychological services are provided for those persons served that are identified as needing evaluation and assessment of their capacity re-integration into the community while evaluating the person served limitations.  When the scope of services is beyond the organizations present capabilities outside referrals are made to licensed psychologists.
• Medical Services - Medical services include physicals, follow-ups, blood work and evaluating the general health needs of the person served.  This is provided under contract with North Broward Hospital District.
• Medication Prescription medication is provided when needed to all person served. Medications are provided through a contractual relationship with North Broward Hospital District.  Some medications that are not in the formulary are purchased by the House of Hope, Inc., some of these medications are reimbursed by the person served, however if that cannot be done the House of Hope, Inc. assumes the cost.
• Educational & Literacy Seminars This is job preparation and job skills training.  It also includes GED classes, literacy classes and GED pre-testing.  Testing for GED is done at Fort Lauderdale High School.
• Seminars Includes HIV/AIDS awareness, budgeting skills/money management and life skills training, Changing our Thinking (criminal behavior)
• Employment Counseling This component helps individuals to assess their skills and training to seek additional training and educational options.  We also offer help obtaining employment for those who have difficulty in this area.
• HIV/HEPATITIS C - This is an intervention component which includes pre and post testing, assessment, testing and groups.  We serve a high risk population and many persons served and their families need this service to help understand the disease and its consequences.  This is not only an intervention it is also prevention and education for those who are diagnosed.
• 12-Step Meetings Meetings are offered of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous onsite at both locations.  When person served enter Re-entry Phase they have the opportunity to attend outside community meetings when permitted.
• Family Program - Family groups are a new component for the program.  Every person served has an opportunity to have family therapy.

 The above services are designed and implemented to: 

v      Support the recovery and well-being of the persons or families served.

v      Enhance the quality of life of the persons served.

v      Reduce symptoms or needs and build resilience.

v      Restore and/or improve functioning.

v      Support the integration of the persons served into the community.