The Program
Fresh Hope welcomes mothers straight ‘off the street’ without requiring a drug free period before acceptance. The program is open and available to all mothers who have a dependency on drugs and who desire a better future for themselves and their children.
Fresh Hope accepts mothers who would typically 'fall through the gaps'. Many of the resident mothers would never have made it into other rehabilitation programs as the assessment process is so difficult.
The ‘Fresh Hope’ program aims to assist mothers and their children who are in need of rehabilitation due to drug or alcohol abuse as well as benefit:
- Future Generations as the Generational Cycle of Addiction and Abuse is broken
- The Community, through the successful return and rehabilitation of the mothers into society
- Government will benefit by financial savings on its resources in the movement against substance abuses
As well as rehabilitation, the Fresh Hope Program offers mothers:
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The Fresh Hope Program offers children:
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While the Fresh Hope Program has a serious purpose, fun and enjoyment plays a key role in the rehabilitation process. Camping, fishing, and horse riding are regular activities shared by residents, volunteers and ‘friends’ of Fresh Hope. Monthly BBQs, Graduation Nights, and birthdays are great occasions for fun and interaction. On all these occasions the opportunity is taken to recognise and acknowledge the invaluable assistance given by our volunteers.
Program Details
- If there is a vacancy within the program, Fresh Hope admits mothers into the program as soon as possible after referral. There are no drug tests required to gain admittance. Detoxification, with the exception of methadone and alcohol, is carried out within Fresh Hope with intensive supervision, on call medical and psychiatric assistance.
- Mothers and children will be kept together throughout the rehabilitation process.
- De-toxing is commenced immediately upon entering the program, with medical practitioners on call as required. Mothers are not expelled if they relapse. The consequences from relapsing are incorporated into the rehabilitation process and used for learning and growth.
- All counseling is focused on the family model, not institutionalized.
- Fresh Hope provides follow up care to mothers upon graduation and as they return to the community. Mothers and their children are linked to a support family in the community before graduation.
Each resident has their own specific program that they work through at their own pace. Some mothers are successfully rehabilitated in 9 months while others require 12-18 months.
Fresh Hope is run under a Family Therapy Model and the program is in no way institutional. This enables mothers to become accustomed to day to day living and the transition back into the community without incident. This family structure also enables the older residents to role model appropriate behaviour and parenting skills to new mothers.
For more details about the Fresh Hope Program, download the Fresh Hope Program Outline
Results achieved by Rehabilitated Mothers:
- Working or studying part time, furthering their career opportunities
- Income supplements previous parenting allowances
- Pay tax
- Pay own medical expenses
- Rarely visit a doctor due to improved health in self and children
- Purchase consumables and gifts
- Rent own accommodation
- Pay fines to court and Centrelink (our aim is to have all debts paid before graduation if possible)
- Pay debts while in rehabilitation
- Reduced impact on the community’s economy:
- Reduced foster care expenses
- No emergency housing
- No doctor shopping
- No shoplifting
- Dysfunctional cycle is broken for children
- Clients contribute to the community positively
This program is Christian based, however it is not a prerequisite for our members to adopt these values, nevertheless Christian principles are in place.
How to Apply
If there is a vacancy within the program, Fresh Hope admits mothers into the program as soon as possible after referral. There are no drug tests required to gain admittance. Detoxification, with the exception of methadone and alcohol, is carried out within Fresh Hope with intensive supervision, on call medical and psychiatric assistance.
Fresh Hope places no restrictions on age, race or beliefs. If a mother is willing to come into the program and make significant changes to her lifestyle, she will be admitted. However, it is a pre-requisite of acceptance into the program that the mother either has custody of her children or will be gaining custody in the near future. This is reasonable upon reflection of the Family Therapy Framework that Fresh Hope is operated from.
Before entering the program, Fresh Hope asks that applicants agree to the following:
- There are no drugs allowed on the property.
- You agree to sign a letter to doctors that stops them giving you any prescribed drugs without staff present, and the script is given to Fresh Hope.
- You sign a letter to our Doctor giving her/him permission to tell us the results of your UT and blood tests. You agree to supervised UT tests if required. All prescribed drugs are to be put in a blister pack by the pharmacy in weekly amounts.
- You agree to see our doctors.
- You sign a form from Centerlink giving us permission to talk to them about your payment and the payment goes into the Fresh Hope account. You will need to open a Heritage Building Society Account for ease of receiving the balance.
- You agree to pay the weekly fee/donation of $320 for one child, $370 for two, $400 for three children (approx. 75% of total wages with three adjustments per year) in advance and to have your account paid up to date when you leave.
- You agree to pay a $100 admission fee that is non-refundable.
- All phone calls and mail can and may be monitored for a period of time.
- You agree to go to church at least once every Sunday.
- You agree to stay of your own free will for a period of 12 months as discussed with Karen.
- For your protection we have a supervisor to ensure professional code of practice.
- You have received a copy of the three stages of the program and are willing to abide by them.
- You agree to have your bags checked both when you arrive and when you leave.
- You will be read the policies and procedures manual and be given a copy of the privacy policy and agree to abide by them.
- You agree to have a police check before you arrive
- If your child is under a Care and Protection order with the Department of Child Safety and you decide to leave the program, the children will stay and the DoCP are notified immediately.
- Any items left behind when you leave will be given to the local opportunity shop within two days.
Fresh Hope is run as a family and we hope that our residents’ time with us is fruitful and life changing.
