03/Apr/2008
There’s No Place Like Home at the WCRC:
Program Gives Home and Health to Women
By Emily Faget
Not all families have a mother, father and siblings. For Kristi Bourgeois, her family consists of more than 1,000 women from seven different parishes.
Bourgeois is the executive director of the Women’s Community Rehabilitation Center (WCRC), a supported living center for women with mental illnesses. WCRC provides food, shelter and job opportunities for these women, many of whom are homeless prior to entering the program. “We really are just like a family,” Bourgeois said.
WCRC uses a three-step Behavior Modification System to help women achieve an independent lifestyle they could never achieve on their own. Paula Philippe, counselor at WCRC, explained that the system is a path to mental wellbeing, not just behavioral health. “We help our women set goals without becoming dependent,” Philippe said.
However, many of these women have end goals already in sight. Some have become estranged from their families because of their illness and want to be reunited with them. Some even have children that they want to take care of again. WCRC leads them in this direction.
The first step of the program is almost entire dependence. The women share a bedroom and bathroom with ten women and
must take their medication under supervision. More than that, they must explain why they need that specific medication. “Many of these women don’t understand the effects of their medication and think they can be fine without it. We have to help them understand and accept their condition,” Bourgeois said.
Pitch in
WCRC’s women are given more privileges when they take the second step. They are given a room with fewer women and a bathroom with more privacy.
When they step into the final phase of the program, they are allowed to have a room to themselves. “It may be small, but they like having their own space,” Bourgeois said.
All women must pitch in with chores around the house as well. Each woman is given a specific chore for a few weeks before rotating to another duty. There are also “team chores,” such as kitchen cleaning, to help them learn to work with others.
The kitchen is often a busy place at WCRC. Gertrude Williams, their cook, usually has the large room filled with the smell of traditional Cajun food or other rich dishes. “We have ex-staff who still come in just to eat Gertrude’s cooking,” Marie Kennedy, communications director, said.
But WCRC is about more than healthy home living. It’s about an all-around productive lifestyle. Women must work while in the program, often as community volunteers. Many women love their jobs so much that they work there permanently after they leave the program.
Prize at the end of the road
So where do these women live after the year-long WCRC program? WCRC helps them into assisted living. For many women, this is the prize at the end of the road because they can finally be reunited with their children.
Yet WCRC does not leave their women behind. Counselors continue to visit over the next one to two years for therapy. The program also provides the apartment deposit and rent assistance for some time.
Even 13 years later, women still call just to chat with the counselors who helped them find a better life. “I’ve been here over a decade and I still hear from women who want to speak to the person who was here before me,” Bourgeois said.
Kennedy is grateful to be part of a program that facilitates such meaningful relationships. “We help them learn to be happy and live in the community. You can’t put a price tag on that,” Kennedy said.
Price gap
While the happiness and health found by WCRC’s women may be priceless, some things do have a price. It costs $73 a day to provide food and shelter, which leaves a price gap between what the state and parish can provide.
WCRC’s home in the old downtown fire station also needs renovations but there is no immediate funding. For instance, Kennedy hopes to create a “Serenity Garden” that the women can upkeep.
But inside the fire station, the WCRC feels like home for its staff and patients. The cozy living room holds a couch, armchair and antique piano that the women play from time to time. Each bedroom or sleep space is surrounded by pictures of loved ones, stuffed animals and other sentimental trinkets.
This is exactly how the staff of WCRC wants it. “We’re home for these women, at least for awhile,” Bourgeois said.
If you would like to become involved with WCRC, the annual Spritz and Sparkle Recognition Social will be held April 30 at 4:30 p.m. in the Lyceum Ballroom. There will be a silent auction and live music. Call (225) 336-0000 to RSVP.
Program Gives Home and Health to Women
By Emily Faget
Not all families have a mother, father and siblings. For Kristi Bourgeois, her family consists of more than 1,000 women from seven different parishes.
Bourgeois is the executive director of the Women’s Community Rehabilitation Center (WCRC), a supported living center for women with mental illnesses. WCRC provides food, shelter and job opportunities for these women, many of whom are homeless prior to entering the program. “We really are just like a family,” Bourgeois said.
WCRC uses a three-step Behavior Modification System to help women achieve an independent lifestyle they could never achieve on their own. Paula Philippe, counselor at WCRC, explained that the system is a path to mental wellbeing, not just behavioral health. “We help our women set goals without becoming dependent,” Philippe said.
However, many of these women have end goals already in sight. Some have become estranged from their families because of their illness and want to be reunited with them. Some even have children that they want to take care of again. WCRC leads them in this direction.
The first step of the program is almost entire dependence. The women share a bedroom and bathroom with ten women and
must take their medication under supervision. More than that, they must explain why they need that specific medication. “Many of these women don’t understand the effects of their medication and think they can be fine without it. We have to help them understand and accept their condition,” Bourgeois said.
Pitch in
WCRC’s women are given more privileges when they take the second step. They are given a room with fewer women and a bathroom with more privacy.
When they step into the final phase of the program, they are allowed to have a room to themselves. “It may be small, but they like having their own space,” Bourgeois said.
All women must pitch in with chores around the house as well. Each woman is given a specific chore for a few weeks before rotating to another duty. There are also “team chores,” such as kitchen cleaning, to help them learn to work with others.
The kitchen is often a busy place at WCRC. Gertrude Williams, their cook, usually has the large room filled with the smell of traditional Cajun food or other rich dishes. “We have ex-staff who still come in just to eat Gertrude’s cooking,” Marie Kennedy, communications director, said.
But WCRC is about more than healthy home living. It’s about an all-around productive lifestyle. Women must work while in the program, often as community volunteers. Many women love their jobs so much that they work there permanently after they leave the program.
Prize at the end of the road
So where do these women live after the year-long WCRC program? WCRC helps them into assisted living. For many women, this is the prize at the end of the road because they can finally be reunited with their children.
Yet WCRC does not leave their women behind. Counselors continue to visit over the next one to two years for therapy. The program also provides the apartment deposit and rent assistance for some time.
Even 13 years later, women still call just to chat with the counselors who helped them find a better life. “I’ve been here over a decade and I still hear from women who want to speak to the person who was here before me,” Bourgeois said.
Kennedy is grateful to be part of a program that facilitates such meaningful relationships. “We help them learn to be happy and live in the community. You can’t put a price tag on that,” Kennedy said.
Price gap
While the happiness and health found by WCRC’s women may be priceless, some things do have a price. It costs $73 a day to provide food and shelter, which leaves a price gap between what the state and parish can provide.
WCRC’s home in the old downtown fire station also needs renovations but there is no immediate funding. For instance, Kennedy hopes to create a “Serenity Garden” that the women can upkeep.
But inside the fire station, the WCRC feels like home for its staff and patients. The cozy living room holds a couch, armchair and antique piano that the women play from time to time. Each bedroom or sleep space is surrounded by pictures of loved ones, stuffed animals and other sentimental trinkets.
This is exactly how the staff of WCRC wants it. “We’re home for these women, at least for awhile,” Bourgeois said.
If you would like to become involved with WCRC, the annual Spritz and Sparkle Recognition Social will be held April 30 at 4:30 p.m. in the Lyceum Ballroom. There will be a silent auction and live music. Call (225) 336-0000 to RSVP.
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