Eva’s Village: Men’s Residential Review
Since 1986, Eva’s Village has operated multi-track substance abuse services in Paterson, New Jersey. It operates outpatient and residential substance abuse treatment programs for men and women at separate residences, along with medical and housing services. After completing treatment, clients can continue to receive support in the Village’s Recovery Center, a peer-driven outpatient model that provides drop-in support meetings, educational workshops and job training. Eva’s Village also maintains a separate treatment center for homeless mothers and their children, Hope House.
Eva’s Village was founded in 1982 as a soup kitchen by Rev. Msgr. Vincent E. Puma, a licensed therapist as well as a clergyman. It now operates a total of twelve programs, all within a three-mile radius of downtown Paterson, one of these is a men’s multi-phase residential program.
Accommodations and Food
The men’s residential program treats up to 102 clients at a time, with roughly 50 men in each of the two phases of the program at once. Clients are accommodated in the modern complex that Eva’s Village occupies in Paterson, in a dormitory-like building. Men have up to five roommates at the beginning of treatment and fewer in the second stage of treatment. Residents share a dorm-like bathroom on each floor. TV is available in the building’s common area.
Eva’s Kitchen—the original program of Eva’s Village that now feeds hundreds of Paterson’s homeless and food-insecure residents—also provides elevated cafeteria-fare to the residence for all meals each day.
Treatment and Staff
Residents can stay in treatment until they are ready to successfully transition to independent living. Typically, residents stay four to six months, but some stay as long as eighteen months.
The first phase of treatment, known as Orientation Phase lasts for a month. During this time, residents are not allowed cell phones or guests and have an intense daily schedule attending group therapy several times a day and individual therapy usually multiple times each week. Residents begin each day with chores around the facility and then attend groups which usually contain 10 to 20 residents and address addiction education, coping skills, anger management and relapse prevention. Daytime groups are more intimate (since many residents enrolled in Phase Two of treatment may be at work) and afternoon and nighttime groups often include the entire residence. Clients must also attend five 12-step meetings near the facility each week.
After successfully completing the Orientation phase, men can elect to reduce attendance of 12-step meetings to three each week. The focus of their treatment then becomes job search and employment. The first step is to embark on a week of “work therapy” in the Eva’s Village complex. During this time they’re assigned a job which gives counselors an idea of their strengths, weaknesses and skill set. Counselors then help with resumes and interview skills and obtaining vocational training nearby. Residents continue attending group and individual therapy around their work schedules.
The treatment team is made of addiction counselors including CADCs, and residents with co-occurring disorders have access to medical staff and therapists through the Village’s affiliated medical clinics.
Extras
Residents have access to a gym, and the facility organizes bowling, basketball and movie trips periodically.
Once a resident is employed, Eva’s Village requires them to obtain a savings account in order to build funds for their transition into independent living. After reaching a level of stability with their treatment and employment men can apply for their own apartment through Eva’s Village’s transitional housing program (often referred to as Phase three). Clients who have completed residential treatment can attend aftercare in the Village’s outpatient program and/or give and receive peer support at its Recovery Center.
In Summary
Eva’s Village is one of the most comprehensive supportive services and recovery centers in the country, serving hundreds of residents of Paterson, NJ each day. With programs that span the recovery spectrum, treatment at Eva’s Village is able to provide clients a continuum of support, helping them to build a self-sufficient life at every stage of their sobriety.
Eva’s Village Location
393 Main St
Paterson, NJ 07501
Eva’s Village Men’s Residential Treatment Cost
No cost. Must be referred by Drug Court or Admitted via on-site Assessment. Reach Eva’s Village at (973) 523-6220. Find Eva’s Village on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube
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Photo courtesy of Ken Lund via Flickr [CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)] (resized and cropped)
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