FRIENDLY HAND FOUNDATION

The goal of Peggy Albrecht Friendly House is to support, nurture, and help women (from all socioeconomic backgrounds) acquire the tools to maintain sobriety, facilitate reunification of women with their families, and provide them with employment and vocational opportunities.

Over the past 68 years Friendly House has provided integrated approaches to the challenges that precede and result from SUDs, such as abuse, partner violence, homelessness, employment challenges and family connectedness. PAFH assists individuals in becoming successful, self-sustaining, contributing citizens. The program breaks down barriers that prevent women with SUDs from continuing to grow and learn. At Friendly House, residential treatment consists of a comprehensive clinical care program developed for women, incorporating best practices and evidence-based interventions.

Since its establishment, the organization has treated and meaningfully engaged more than 5,000 women. It has served as a leading nationwide model of recovery for women and thus benefits the larger care system by documenting vital knowledge on the specific treatment needs of women. It has provided educational/job placement paths for women post-treatment, and has developed linkages to affordable housing.

We have been experiencing a relatively new phenomenon that we refer to as the “hidden homeless.” In other words, a woman who has lost pretty much everything, lives in her car, parks overnight in the parking lot at Home Depot, has a gym membership in order to bathe every day, is relatively “put together” and spends long periods at Starbucks searching the internet for jobs. But she is still struggling with addiction and has no resources to deal with her disorder. She has no insurance or bare-bones insurance that only covers basics, or previously had just a bit too much income to qualify for Medi-Cal. She comes to Friendly House and the answer is “welcome.”

As we expand services, some women will need full scholarship (perhaps the undocumented woman ineligible for public benefits, or one who cannot afford even the premiums or co-pays for ACA coverage), and some women will need additional service days beyond what a plan is able to cover, because to have her leave too soon would likely result in relapse.

Peggy Albrecht Friendly House provides a unique rehabilitative experience in a non-institutional home-like environment. The program is housed in a well supervised-highly structured and secured residential setting. Continued success in recovery will always be a lifelong journey. Recommended treatment duration will be between 3-6 months. Program activities will consist of a multidimensional blend of clinical, education, and support group activities.

Residential treatment consists of a comprehensive clinical care program developed for women, and incorporating best practices and evidence-based interventions proven effective. We help diverse women such as individuals that are low-income and uninsured, and those who may be torn between the need to care for their family and the need to enter treatment. We work to address these needs so women recover faster and make lasting improvements. Our current programs include Residential Treatment and Sober Living Housing. Under the latter, we provide a family and social support network plus medical, mental health, and job placement services.

Treatment begins with a full assessment to explore the behavioral health needs of each woman. This data informs the development of a treatment plan created by her primary counselor with her direct involvement. Her therapeutic team, comprised of licensed therapists (MFT or LCSW), certified counselors, and health educators, guide her through a flexible curriculum of individual and group counseling, family counseling and support groups. During this time in treatment, women participate in community resources to address medical, psychological, social, vocational, and legal needs. All services are provided in a safe home environment rather than a clinical-hospital setting. Doing this, we are able to diminish women’s fears, concerns, and stigma related with receiving services through public and private health care systems.

Our women focused facilities are vital as the reasons women use drugs are often different than their male counterparts, and can sometimes be related to coping with depression and anxiety which are exacerbated by sexual and physical abuse. Women who are experiencing addiction may also be in abusive relationships where their partner is the only source for financial support or shelter. As such, the work we do has a substantial positive impact on women as it contributes to improving their overall welfare and self-sufficiency.

Peggy Albrecht Friendly House has expanded its capacity to serve more women by obtaining a Clinical Treatment License from the California Department of Healthcare Services. This transition has allowed the organization to offer a comprehensive yet affordable program that will be available to every woman regardless of their socioeconomic status.

In addition to the licensure, Friendly House has achieved JCAHO Accreditation, the highest level of accreditation available for an organization of our type. We are also in the final stages of being approved for Medi-Cal funded recovery care.

Operationally, we have added a Detox service so that women who are actively withdrawing from the harmful effects of addition can do so in a supportive home-like environment, and then can maintain their recovery in the same location once detoxification has been achieved.

Throughout our history, we have found that collaborations and partnerships enable PAFH to leverage our limited resources. As one example, PAFH serves as a referral destination for several treatment facilities throughout the broader region. Particularly for those who know that a small, home-like environment will best serve the needs of a woman needing Detox, other facilities will refer to PAFH when their services do not meet all the needs of a woman in crisis. Also, facilities refer clients to PAFH when a woman is appropriate for the Sober Living environment in order to cement her recovery, but the referring agency cannot maintain the client due to limitations on coverage.

We also leverage resources by means of conducting a Family and Social Support Network. Families, including children and extended family members, are welcomed at Friendly House, since the organization encourages and incorporates family participation. PAFH also helps its local community find support for recovery by holding Daily Groups, Weekly Process Groups, and Yoga). We arrange for participation in nightly Alcohol Anonymous Meetings. A weekly support group in West Hollywood draws participation from throughout the region and regularly involves 30 to 50 women and family members.

Friendly House partners with local resources to ensure Medical, Mental Health, and Job Placement Services Among our community referrals are: 1) Saban Medical Clinic: Primary medical care, treatment and prevention for chronic health diseases including HIV and hepatitis; 2) Hollywood Mental Health Center: Assessment and treatment for mental health disorders; 3) Los Angeles LGBT Center: Primary medical care, community advocacy, arts and social programs; 4) Work Source Employment Development: Career development, skill assessment, assistance with job and internship applications, and money management skills.

Over the past 65 years Friendly House has:
Supported over 5,000 women to date
Served as a leading model of recovery for centers nation wide
Provided educational/job placement pathways for women after Friendly House
Developed a pathway towards affordable housing and employment for many clients.
Specialized on the needs of older women who may have devoted themselves to family over the decades without time to focus on themselves.

To increase our ability to grow our revenue streams and financial sustainability, we have identified the need to attract new funders and create opportunities to become eligible for new revenues. A crucial factor in the success of individual donor cultivation is the strong interpersonal relationships amongst the development and administrative staff within the organization. New donors must be welcomed and supported through effective stewardship activities. Particularly in these times where the largest recipients of individual giving are Donor Advised Funds (DAFs), intense and costly research capacity is required in order to determine the source of those pooled funds and the proper approaches to the decision-makers, who are typically hidden behind the DAF structure.

Continuing maturation of our organizational and management structures is also necessary to give us a competitive edge, and at the same time increase our quality of care. As we expand, we also expect our compliance requirements to grow. As a result, we will require additional resources, knowledge and skills to aid us in successfully meeting new compliance rules with state and federal program standards.

Since its establishment, the organization has treated and meaningfully engaged more than 5,000 women. It has served as a leading nationwide model of recovery for women and thus benefits the larger care system by documenting vital knowledge on the specific treatment needs of women. It has provided educational/job placement paths for women post-treatment, and has developed linkages to affordable housing.

We have been experiencing a relatively new phenomenon that we refer to as the “hidden homeless.” In other words, a woman who has lost pretty much everything, lives in her car, parks overnight in the parking lot at Home Depot, has a gym membership in order to bathe every day, is relatively “put together” and spends long periods at Starbucks searching the internet for jobs. But she is still struggling with addiction and has no resources to deal with her disorder. She has no insurance or bare-bones insurance that only covers basics, or previously had just a bit too much income to qualify for Medi-Cal. She comes to Friendly House and the answer is “welcome.”

As we expand services, some women will need full scholarship (perhaps the undocumented woman ineligible for public benefits, or one who cannot afford even the premiums or co-pays for ACA coverage), and some women will need additional service days beyond what a plan is able to cover.