Women find Home of El Roi in a variety of ways:

• Court referrals from judges or probation officers

• Department of Children's Services

• Oasis Pregnancy Center

• Family members

• Friends or churches

• Women who hear about us while in jail or from outside sources

We usually receive an inquiry from the woman herself or her advocate. If it appears Home of El Roi is a good placement for her, she is instructed to:

• Print the application available on our website or we can mail her an application.

• Application must be completed by the applicant and returned via email, fax, or mail.

• Each application is marked by the date it is received and processed in that order.

• Based on the information provided, staff determines if Home of El Roi is a good fit for the applicant's needs, and if so an interview is scheduled. A face-to-face interview is preferred, but if this is not possible a phone interview will be conducted.

• After the interview, the staff will determine possible placement and availability.

Although there is typically a waiting list, all applicants are encouraged to apply since circumstances often change for those who have already applied. If a prospective applicant is on our waiting list for longer than six months, a new updated application should be submitted to ensure we have current information.

The core residential program generally lasts 18-24 months.

Rather than a specific period of time, the graduation process is determined by the successful completion of our curriculum. For some that may happen within twelve months, for others it can be longer. The curriculum includes completing all our required classes as well as volunteer hours and a healthy transition plan into the community.

A typical day begins with devotional time after children are fed breakfast and sent to school or daycare. The day from 8:00 – 4:00 is treated as a typical workday and this time must be filled with productive activities. There are classes and activities that fit within five major categories: counseling, spiritual growth, recovery, life skills, and parenting.

The women are required to take a Work Ethics course when they have reached a level in their recovery when they can take on additional responsibility. At this point they are offered paid employment, if available, through a work based program that's currently being developed.

Women are not charged to come to Home of El Roi and the majority of the women are not in a position to pay. However, once the women are earning an income they are encouraged to donate a portion of their wages to Home of El Roi to assist in the cost of the services they receive.

This is entirely dependent on the number of children living onsite full-time and visiting on the weekends. The maximum number of families we can house in the core program is eleven – so if each family had the maximum size family of 3 children we would have a maximum of 44 residents under one roof.

Home of El Roi first attempts to fill bed with those in need within our surrounding area but residents and families from outside the state of Mississippi may apply. If we have an empty bed, and the applicant is a good fit and we have the resources to help we believe that as body of Christ we should be open to all.

Absolutely. In fact, we delight in the opportunity to assist a new mother as she prepares for the birth of a healthy baby, free from addiction in a safe, nurturing environment.

Those of school age attend the local elementary school and are picked up by the school bus. Younger children go to local daycare facilities.

The children of Home of El Roi are allowed to participate in typical school activities like any other children.

To ensure all onsite children are under the age of 12, we only accept new resident children under the age of 9. Older children are allowed to visit during the day and special arrangements are considered for these circumstances on a case by case basis.

Each woman is designated specific chores, which are assigned weekly and rotate. Outside contractors cut the grass to maintain a consistent standard of care.

Staff must approve all visits in advance. And all day passes with approved family members or friends must be granted by staff 48 hours in advance.

Residents are not allowed to engage in a romantic relationship during the time they are participating in the Home of El Roi program.

No smoking is allowed on Home of El Roi property. A new resident who smokes is provided information and support to help her stop smoking. All residents are subject to regular nicotine testing as well as drug testing.

The primary reasons for discharge are a lack of cooperation or non-compliance with rules. Home of El Roi is an intensive self-help program, which is not designed for those who do not want to put forth their best efforts. The staff evaluates each individual case by reviewing her progress, her attitude, and her willingness to cooperate. Safety violations or abuse toward children result in immediate discharge.

We are not a detox facility or a women’s domestic shelter. Although most of our population will come from a background of drug use and physical violence, we require the women to detox off serious drugs with major side effects that require medical supervision. Once detoxed they may apply to come to Home of El Roi for their rehab. When a woman is coming out of a violent relationship, we will help them get to a safe house. Once the situation is stabilized and deemed safe, the woman can apply to come to Home of El Roi.

We have found that the frequency of inquiries sometimes comes in waves throughout the year. So, there are times during the year when placement is relatively swift, other times there is a waiting list that shifts frequently as their circumstances tend to change daily. There is typically a lengthy waiting list, but we encourage applicants to apply as soon as possible so their names will be in the system. We consider applications in the order we receive them.

We do not publish the location of our facility, but it is not as secretive as a true domestic violence shelter. We carefully screen our applicants and do not accept those who might jeopardize the safety of our community. We ask that someone in a high-risk situation seek help from a true shelter, then her case is reevaluated in 30 days to see if the danger has been resolved. The entire facility has an alarm system, and most rooms have panic buttons that call emergency services. If it is determined after a resident arrives that the safety of Home of El Roi is compromised, the resident is required to leave immediately. The local law enforcement is aware of our program and makes random and frequent visits to our campus.

Home of El Roi is one of very few recovery programs that allow the children to come with their mothers. Many of the women who come to Home of El Roi express that they would not have sought help if they had to leave their children behind. We recognized that it was extremely overwhelming for a woman to parent her children if she had never done so sober. Therefore, much of our focus concentrates on coaching each mother with her individual parenting challenges and struggles so she can better manage when she is on her own one day as a single parent.

Because we focus as much on the child's recovery as we do the mothers and with numerous recovery programs available for women without children, we do not accept women who do not have children. This does not apply to women who have lost custody as one of our primary goals is to restore families allowing children to reestablish a relationship with a healthy mother.

Home of El Roi assist mothers in becoming healthier parents so they may regain custody of their children. This process. especially if the children were removed by the Department of Children's Services or are being cared for by uncooperative family members. can be complicated and overwhelming. Home of El Roi helps the mother navigate this difficult, lengthy process. While there are no guarantees and each case is unique, Home of El Roi walks alongside the mom to try and reestablish the mother and child together who have lost custody.

Sadly, most of the children at Home of El Roi do not have relationships with their fathers. Many of the fathers are incarcerated, disinterested, unfit as parents. or unknown. For the few who do have healthy relationships with their fathers, regular visitation is scheduled, and the children are typically transferred off the property.

The most common age is early to mid-twenties, but ages vary broader than that.

The women take care of their own meals for breakfast and lunch, but dinner is assigned so that the women take turns cooking for the entire community. Most of the women qualify for Food Stamps. Those who do not qualify for Food Stamps typically use donated food.

Overnight passes are rarely granted until after graduation, unless there are unusual circumstances such as a death in the family, a court appearance far away, a stay in the hospital, etc.

Weekly family meetings are designed for structured, healthy conflict resolution. While disputes are expected, threats or actions of physical harm are not tolerated.

This depends entirely on the graduate and her desire to maintain open communication. We always encourage graduates to continue to rely on Home of El Roi for support after they leave and enjoy hearing from them when they reach out. We expect some of our graduates will join us as staff for Home of El Roi.