Ncadd

Weldon House Supportive Housing Program

In 2002,National Council On Alcoholism and Drug Dependence received a donation from the Watson Family Foundation in the amount of $100,000 to be used for housing for pregnant and parenting women.

NCADD had a vision of what was needed for pregnant/parenting women to be able to become independent and self-sufficient, however the current approved housing programs did not allow for the model which NCADD believed would work. June of 2003 the Arizona Department of Health Services and the state funding agency, Value Options approached NCADD and requested that we work to implement the program we had strongly believed in for many years. The $100,000 was then used for a down payment on a six-2 bedroom apartment complex and some of the renovations.

Through efforts from the community, staff and Board of Directors, Weldon House was renovated and completely furnished with the opening on December 28, 2003.

Weldon House is innovative in that the women with their child/children have their own fully furnished 2 bedroom apartment that provides them with the setting in which to learn hands on how to manage a home, parent their child/children and develop a family. Counselors, Peer Support, Case managers, and a Parenting Specialist are provided on site to assist each woman with developing the skills necessary for them to become self-sufficient and independent.

Weldon House was developed to improve the chances for women with children who
experience a multitude of barriers that make it difficult for them to leave abusive relationships, sustain recovery from drug addiction/alcoholism, obtain adequate housing and obtain employment that provides a livable wage. Due to the lack of life skills, history of abusive/controlling relationships and dependency on drugs/alcohol, these women also have low self-esteem and lack of confidence to improve the quality of their lives for them selves and their children. The Program works closely and individually with them to believe in themselves, access resources and referrals to deal with specific issues such as job training, education, day care, transportation, eye exams and glasses, clothing, medications, and psychiatric evaluations, During the woman’s stay at Weldon House she also participates in NCADD’s Out Patient Program which consists of group, individual and family counseling.