At Access Foundation, we strive to increase Recovery Capital in our residents. We hope to capture both the principles associated with recovery capital and the spirit of it by documenting and exploring how simple, structured, practical, everyday experience and natural social forces can play a major role in shaping behavior change. To find out more about Recovery Capital, click here.
The obstacle to real recovery is not the pain of hitting bottom, but the absence of hope, connectedness, and potential for fulfillment. The catalytic turning point for those with depleted recovery capital is more likely to be one of seeing an achievable top than hitting bottom.
We believe that the essence of recovery is a lived experience of improved life quality and a sense of empowerment; that the principles of recovery focus on the central ideas of hope, choice, freedom and aspiration that are experienced rather than diagnosed, and occur in real-life settings rather than in the rarefied atmosphere of clinical settings.
Research has found that people with full-time jobs reported having the lowest levels of depression and stress; they also tended to eat the healthiest foods and ranked lowest for unhealthy food consumption. People holding down full-time employment enjoyed the most physical activity and reported the lowest levels of alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking.
All Access Foundation homes are state licensed residential support facilities or are in the process of becoming state licensed. Our standards for operating are higher than those required by the state so licensing has not been a problem for us.
After excluding those that do not stay past the “screening” phase (the first 30 days), we have an average stay of approximately 10 months. Our goal is to have an average stay closer to 12 months based on the “retention effect”. Keeping people sober for one year will greatly increase their chances of remaining sober for five years.
The bad news is that alcohol or drug use cannot be tolerated in a home where everyone else is struggling through their own recovery. But the good news is that everyone in the house is a product of second chances, they tend to be very forgiving. If a resident relapses, they are evicted immediately, but their bed is held for them for 72 hours. If they can come back and test negative, they can have their bed back. There are additional failsafe circumstances whereby a bed might be held for a week. Beyond a week, the resident will have to re-apply for admission and will forfeit the remainder of their rent and their deposit.
Each residential support location requires a city business license which includes an annual inspection from the fire department. The State health department conducts an annual inspection and we are required to renew our state license with the Department of Human Services annually.
Residents are required to find a job and maintain employment during their stay. Only a very small percentage do not find work within 30 days. We think this success has to do with several factors. First, a critical mass of residents (12 or more) that have work, refer new residents to recovery friendly employers. Also, there is some inherent social and employment skill transfer taking place within the culture of the home itself. After 30 days, residents tend to be more competent in these areas.
We have had many residents stay with us for a year or more. They tell us their lives have changed most significantly in the following ways – they say they have:
Continued abstinence and lasting change are consequences that have followed their commitment to recovery.
