Purpose of a Halfway House

Halfway houses are residential centers that are set up to help former prisoners, drug addicts and mental patients make a small step back into society. Residents are not allowed complete freedom. They have to abide by "house rules" and participate in supportive services in order to continue living in the halfway house. Length of residency varies but is usually limited to a set time period.

Definition

• After release or discharge from a "primary institution" such as a mental hospital, prison or rehabilitation center, people sometimes go to live in halfway houses. Halfway houses help their residents to successfully reintegrate with society while still under support and supervision.

Transition

• Halfway houses provide services that help their residents (male or female adults; sometimes, mothers with dependent children) to transition with support into the community. Residents are expected to actively look for employment and housing. People incarcerated because of a drug offense and released from prison to a halfway house are on parole and expected to follow strict release conditions as they work on transitioning back into society. If they violate any of their conditions of parole, they are sent back to prison to serve the remainder of their sentence.

Reintegration

• Halfway house residents are working on reintegrating back into society as law-abiding, productive citizens. Counselors are available at all hours to help residents with problems. If, for instance, a resident passes by a part of town where he used to get high and is finding it difficult to stay away from old drug sources, his counselor will help him work on staying clean. If potential employers are refusing to speak to a resident or interview her because of her past, a counselor can intervene.

Monitoring and Support

• Monitoring and support services might include group counseling, drug and alcohol testing, educational group sessions, vocational counseling, psychosocial evaluations and individual counseling. Some halfway house residents are required to participate in random, unannounced drug and alcohol tests. One requirement of continued residency is participation in counseling and looking for a job. Counselors take frequent notes and update residents' records as they monitor residents' efforts and progress.

Rehabilitation

• Whatever the primary institution they're coming from, halfway house residents need to work on the issues that led to their rehabilitation or incarceration. Counselors help residents to identify these issues. They might be referred to additional counseling sessions with a psychologist so they can continue to work on their underlying problems and have a better chance of staying away from old habits, associates and neighborhoods.