And one unconventional thing we do is accept addicts who have no money. As long as an applicant says they want to change their lives we accept them.
Now a lot of people think that's no big deal. They have the idea that because we're a non-profit we get funding from the government. That we only take broke, homeless addicts because we get paid to do it. No so.
If we accept someone and they start working and leave with their first paycheck we're just burned. We have no recourse. Other than a piece of paper that says they agreed to pay. It's a written contract. But how do you sue a broke addict and get paid when you win? So we don't bother to go to court.
But being unconventional has been part of our success. Of our 700 clients, those that stay and pay help keep the doors open. Although we lose 25% of what we charge in the halfway houses, what we do collect keeps things going
Would we do better if had government support? Maybe. But then the government doesn't have a big heart when it comes to helping grown addicts. They'd rather help families, children, and the elderly before throwing a bone to addicts. And I kind of agree with them.
When we addicts help each other recover it gives us a sense of accomplishment. When we help our fellow addicts change it reinforces our own recovery.
It's the same principle that makes the 12-step programs work. But few halfway houses have incorporated that idea into their programs to the extent we have at TLC.
