Operation Renew
WHI Operation Renew’s mission is to empower people to be part of the solution instead of the problem. By inducing, enhancing and empowering them to live a lifestyle of recovery. This is achieved by promoting positive change to negative behaviors and thinking patterns, strengthening the character with spiritual principles while creating a motivated, confident and more productive life.
WHI Operation Renew’s philosophy is that the disease of addiction affects the mind, body and spirit of an individual. Continued sobriety or abstinence is an important part of sustained recovery of addiction. However, recovery is part of a larger picture than just sobriety or abstinence. Recovery embraces a re-engagement with the community based on resilience, health, and hope. Therefore, our recovery support services focuses less on the pathology of substance use disorders and more on maximizing the opportunities to create a lifetime of recovery and wellness of self, family, and community.
WHI Operation Renew’s goal is to extend and enhance the treatment continuum. Our goal is by helping to prevent relapse and promote long term recovery we can reduce the number of individuals that remain homeless, in the justice systems or institutions that are strained by the growing amounts of individuals in need in the community. Moreover, when individuals do experience relapses, our recovery support services will help to minimize the negative effects through early intervention. Our promotion to educate the community and to provide individuals with the tools necessary to assist them in becoming productive members of society is in Prevention, Treatment and Recovery.
Our targeted population, are individuals with a history of substance abuse or substance abuse related issues who are in or seeking recovery from an illness that can be destructive in all areas of life. Since the disease is progressive, individuals may be very sick physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. We focus on those individuals that are chronically homeless, previously incarcerated, displaced, veterans and civilians. The dysfunction is often compounded by the fact that people either can’t or won’t admit to the addiction that it affects the family, work, social and legal areas of their lives. Many lack the basic necessities (clothing, hygiene supplies, proper identification and/or housing), dependable income, health care, and marketable job skills. Some have criminal histories from which it takes a longer period of time to achieve independence.
WHI Operation Renew embraces six core values.
- Keeping recovery first - We feel the only way to keep from returning to active addiction is not to take the first drug/drink.
- Actively participating in the process - We feel individuals must be willing to shoulder the major responsibility for their own recovery. It is not just for those that really need it, but for those that really want it.
- Commitment to the healing journey - We feel that since addiction did not happen in one day, that we cannot recover from it all at once.
- Authenticity of peers helping peers - We believe that it is completely realistic that the therapeutic value of one addict/alcoholic helping another is without parallel as our approach to the disease of addiction.
- Leadership Development - We believe that the sooner an individual faces their problems within society the faster they will become capable of leading an acceptable, responsible and productive life.
- Diversity and Inclusion - We believe that regardless of who we are, where we came from, or what we have done, we are accepted in all that we do.
As an integral part of our program, these core values give us a common ground for understanding and working with one another.
WHI Operation Renew’s program offers a combination of education and support services that are crucial to the stabilization and reintegration of individuals suffering from addiction back into society. The program is designed and delivered by professionals and peers that both understand and/or in recovery. Our services are augmented by a network of strong relationships between WHI and other social support systems in the community.
WHI Operation Renew currently provides the following services to the targeted population:
Transitional Housing
A six (6) months to one (1) year structured living environment for men. Our housing is caring, clean, safe, and sober. Three healthy meals are provided daily. Residents have a strict schedule to follow and detailed daily living schedules are provided along with routine/mandatory drug screens. Weekly activities and services supporting recovery are provided. The overall purpose of this housing is to offer homeless individuals an opportunity to live in an affordable drug free facility until they are able to secure permanent housing on their own.
Life Skills
Subjects aimed at equipping individuals with the skills needed to succeed in day-to-day life such as, health education, anger management, parenting, child development and family unity. Participants receive assistance in developing appropriate decision making techniques, socialization skills, self-esteem building, problem solving techniques and goal setting.
Recovery Support
Activities designed to provide emotional support, assist individuals with understanding the disease concept, and maintain sobriety.
Relapse Prevention
Activities that assist individuals in identifying their current stage of recovery while establishing a recovery plan to identify and manage the relapse warning signs.
Spiritual Support
Activities that are inspirational and motivational in nature aimed to helping individuals to establish or re-establish a relationship with a higher power, adopt positive values or principles, identify a sense of purpose and mission for one’s life, and achieve serenity and peace of mind.
Recovery Coaching
One to One services provided to an individual and/or family addressing substance abuse recovery issues.
Substance Abuse Services
WHI substance abuse services are administered by a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC) that is licensed in the State of Texas to provide HIV clients and those at-risk of infection with individual and group process treatment counseling sessions.
Counseling
Professional services addressing individual issues relating to relationships and family, involving family systems theories and techniques in the delivery of therapy services to those persons. The term includes the evaluation and remediation of cognitive, affective, behavioral, or relational dysfunction within the context of marriage or family systems.
Job Readiness
Activities to teach individuals the skills in interviewing, application completion, resume writing, job search skills and techniques, positive employment behaviors and attitudes. Our course is combined with basic computer training equipping individuals with skills to do online job searching, online applications and entry level data processing functions while addressing an individual’s criminal record as it relates to employment.
Money Management
Activities to teach individuals the basic skills in creating and maintaining a budget, how to save money, how to manage bank accounts, and how to prioritize needs versus wants without living beyond ones means.
Outreach
WHI has liaisons conducting outreach activities both in-house at The Stewpot (since the mid-1990’s) and by canvassing parks (public sex environments), storefront establishments, under bridges, motels & other high prostitution areas, small group sessions, community recreation centers, housing developments, local Methadone Clinics, homeless shelters and car washes. Outreach activities are planned and designed to engage hard to serve targeted population that are at risk and underserved to referrals to services.
Prisoner Re-entry Program
Activities designed for reintegration into society by providing an alternative for those with limited parole housing options, behavioral modification techniques and beginning life anew opportunities.