Opportunity House, Inc

OPPORTUNITY HOUSE, INC.

GENERAL REGULATIONS

for

Phase I

Please read these rules carefully. After reading please initial on the line following each topic heading to indicate that you understand and agree to live by these rules.

Willingness ______

This is for an 18-month commitment. All rules need to be followed exactly. Infractions will lead to possible termination. Staff decisions are final and rules are subject to change if the need arises. You are being given a chance to change your life. This is a program of action. When the willingness and participation of a resident stops, so will we. Disrespect of house, program, or staff will not be tolerated, either verbally or through negative actions. Please treat the other residents as you want them to treat you.

Responsibility ______

Our fee is $1,000.00 per month. Our goal is to get a resident current fees. At least 80% of all residents’ income will be contributed to obtain this goal. Until a resident is current, paychecks will be signed over to a Director to cash. A decision will then be made on a resident’s contribution. The resident will be taken to purchase a money order at the Director’s convenience. Residents are also responsible to repay any money advanced to them during their stay. Failure to pay these fees without a Director’s knowledge will lead to termination. A resident will NOT ask for or accept a cash advance or a loan from his employer or his family. Residents need to be self-supporting through their own contributions. After a resident has become current, his rent will now be paid on the 1st and 15th of each month. Before entering Phase II, residents are encouraged to open a bank account. Residents must save $700.00 before entering Phase II. While in a Phase II house, a resident will pay a one time $200.00 deposit plus rent of $500.00 per month. In Phase III, a resident will pay $25.00 per week until the completion of his 18-month commitment. Any outside debts are not OHI’s responsibility. If a resident leaves the program voluntarily or is terminated and asked to leave the premises, he will have 30 days to make arrangements to have all of his personal belongings removed. After that, his belongings will be considered abandoned and disposed of in a manner deemed appropriated by OHI personnel.

Orientation Period ______

Upon entering the program, a resident will be placed on an orientation period of ninety (90) days. Directors will tell a resident when he can start to look for work. A resident in orientation will receive no visits from anyone, other than a sponsor. A resident must find a sponsor in the first ninety (90) days. Permission must be obtained ahead of time from the Director to call, or see, or leave the house with your sponsor. No personal vehicles are permitted during orientation. While in orientation, a resident must attend ALL Meetings where the OHI van goes, if the resident is not working. A resident’s focus during the orientation period will be solely on the program, house and job. The requirements for a resident to get off his orientation period are: he has to have a sponsor, have the first column done on the 4th Step, stayed out of trouble, can verbally recite the rules that pertain to being off orientation, has read and signed the Sign-Out Policy Form, and is employed full time. A resident will complete all reading and writing assignments. A resident can leave the house during orientation only with a Director or when given permission by a Director. Directors’ decisions during the orientation period, as in all Phases of the Program, are not open for debate.

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Meetings and Functions ______

All meetings and functions are mandatory unless you are working. You will need a BigBook. Residents still in their orientation period will attend nightly12 Step meetings where a Director is present, unless given permission to go to a different meeting. These meetings are for recovery, not for visiting family, girlfriends, or to conduct OHI business. Residents are not permitted to sit by family or girlfriends at the meetings. You are at these meetings to focus on your addictions and not your social life. If the Director feels a resident’s choice of seating is distracting to the resident or to the group, the resident will be asked to move and not sit with this person again. Do not ask about House business during a meeting. Please do not pay your fees to your Director during, before or after a meeting. Wait until you are at your residence to do this. Residents will remain seated and will be attentive during the entire meeting. Any resident who is disruptive or inattentive (this includes falling asleep) during a meeting will be asked to leave and can possibly be terminated from the program. Residents are required to attend all meetings during the week. Meetings are from opening prayer to closing prayer. Always treat other members of the group with respect. You are there to find recovery…..not relationships.

Relationships ______Also, it is strongly suggested not to enter into any romantic or sexual relationships while here. During orientation, if a resident is caught one on one, he may be terminated. This is an effort to help the resident stay focused only on him.

Behavior Conduct Rules ______

One of the goals of this program is to help a resident re-enter society. To achieve that goal, a resident will not strike, physically or mentally abuse or intimidate (bulldog or punk) other residents, visitors or staff or any member of our community. There will be no trash talking, calling out or practical jokes played on others. A resident shall not physically,verbally, touch, or threaten another resident. There will be no punching, kicking, wrestling, or pushing allowed. This type of behavior will result in termination. There will be no mouthwash that contains alcohol allowed. No weapons of any kind on the premises or on a resident’s person. If a knife is needed for work…it stays at work. There will be no “gang” activity of any kind this includes: claiming, flashing, hand signs, code talk, colors or writing. If you enter the Program with a tattoo on the back of your head, you will be asked to grow your hair out until the tattoo is no longer visible. No new tattoos or piercings while a resident at OHI. Sexual intimidation or gestures will not be tolerated. Flirting may be construed as sexual harassment. There is no “color” at OHI. Addiction knows no race, neither do we.

Work ______

You will be expected to find gainful employment. To do this, you will need an I.D. or driver’s license and Social Security Card. We will help you achieve this goal. You may also need other work related items such as work boots, gloves, hard hat, etc. We will also help you with these items. One of the first items you will need is an alarm clock. Do not depend on others to wake you up. You will not be able to work at a job that has night hours or split shifts that require you to miss night meetings. Residents cannot work over 60 hours per week or 7 days in a row. The work week will begin on Monday and end on Sunday regardless of when your pay period begins and ends. All residents will sign the “Work Hours Sheet” in order for us to track your hours. Residents can become eligible to work more than 60 hours per week after they have been working the Program for 4 ½ months and be on Step 7. To be considered for this, you must be active in your own recovery by participating, following the rules (no restrictions), and working the steps. Residents can also be considered for “roughneck” positions by the same criteria.

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Saturdays

The following schedule will be adhered to on Saturdays: No breakfast, no wake-up and no meditation, unless a resident chooses to cook or meditate. Residents who are home and who are under their orientation must attend the noon meeting, and an evening meeting. Residents who are over their orientation, must attend a meeting of their choosing.

Sundays ______

Major house cleaning day is also on Sunday evening. The van will run to Wal-Mart between 3:00PM and 4:30PM.

Drugs and Alcohol ______

We run a clean program. You use….you go….no exceptions. You will be tested regularly. Refusal to test is the same as using. There is no privacy during testing. You need to go in 1 hour of being asked. Inhalants are also considered drugs.

Medication ______

All medication must be cleared by a Director, this includes over-the-counter medication. If a doctor has prescribed medication for you, you may not be able to take it. Always call a director first.

Alcohol Establishments and Tobacco Stores ______

Residents are not allowed to enter an establishment that’s primary purpose is to serve alcohol and smoking products. This includes all restaurants with a bar. Also, houses, vehicles, or gatherings where drugs and/or alcohol are being consumed or possessed are off limits… this includes family. Violation may result in termination.

House Phone ______ During orientation, residents can use the phone for one 15 minute call everyday with a director's permission. No call may go longer than 15 minutes. Scheduled use of the phone is: Sunday thru Thursday, after meditation until lights out; Friday, after meditation until midnight and Saturday, 6:00 AM until midnight. If a resident is off orientation and does not have a personal cell phone, he is allowed to have three 15 minute calls per day on the house phone.

Work & Cell Phones ______

Work cell phones can only be approved by a director after the resident completes Work Cell Phone Policy Sheet and turns it in.

Personal cell phones are allowed after the orientation period is completed and the resident is current on his fees. He must also show proof to a director that he has a contract for the phone in his name, and that he has completed the Cell Phone Policy Form. Cell phones are NOT allowed at any meetings, this includes meditation. Cell phones are to be completely turned off at lights out and can be turned back on on vibrate at wake-up. No use of phones inside OHI vans unless approved by a director. Cell phones are to be on vibrate at all times in the houses. You cannot lend a cell phone for any reason to a resident who is still in his orientation period.

Chores ______

Chores are assigned. Chores will be done at night with one or two residents spot cleaning in the morning before any sign-outs. Always clean up after yourself, even if it is not your assigned chore. If you made the mess, you clean the mess. This way, the house will stay clean. Residents must keep personal area clean…always. Residents are also responsible to help keep the costs of the house down. Wasting food, senseless use of utilities and house supplies will not be tolerated. Bed linens must be washed weekly.

Wake up ______

Monday thru Friday, residents will be out of bed and standing by 5:30 AM . By 5:40 AM, residents will be dressed and have their bed made.

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Meditation ______

Meditation is mandatory! Residents need to have their Big Book, coffee or equivalent, and be seated and ready by 6:00 AM on Monday thru Friday. Residents must stay seated during meditation unless there is an emergency. The phone will not be answered. A Director will give an alternate time for meditation for residents who have to leave for their jobs earlier. Meditation is not to discuss house problems. Do not comment or interrupt other residents when sharing.

Curfew ______

All times are exact by the house clock! Sunday thru Thursday, residents must be inside the house by 10:00 PM. (Work excluded.) Failure to do so without notifying a Director with an acceptable reason may result in termination. Friday and Saturday, residents must be inside the house by 11:00PM.(Work excluded) Failure to do so without notifying a Director with an acceptable reason may result in termination.

Lights out ______

Sunday thru Thursday, 11:00 PM SHARP…no radios, walkmans, reading lamps, cell phones, etc.

Friday and Saturday, 1:00 AM SHARP…no radios, walkmans, reading lamps, cell phones, etc.

Sign in-out procedures ______

Residents are required to sign out when leaving the house. If you intend to go to a bank, gas station or ATM, while you are out, it is not necessary to sign out for these destinations separately. If you intend to visit two places, you can sign out one time by listing both destinations. If a resident is signing out to someone's home, he must first notify a director and inform him of who this person is, then complete his sign-out to this location by including the person's name in his information on the Sign-out Sheet. Residents will sign in upon return, and log the exact time of return. Residents are allowed a maximum of up to 4 hours per “sign-out”, unless the resident is going to his job site to work. Up to 12 hours per week is allowed. A maximum of 18 hours is allowed if approved by a Director.If a resident is unavoidably detained, he must call the House Director before his “four” hours are up. Residents must be reasonably accurate about the time needed to get to and from work. Any resident who fails to be completely honest about his destination, will be terminated. If a resident fails to return within the four hour time limit, or goes over the 12 hour weekly limit, he will be terminated.

All residents must read and sign the Sign-out Policy Sheet.

Residents must also complete the Work Hours Sheet and the 12 Step Group Attendance Sheet.

Office Meetings ______

Residents will know ahead of time of an office meeting, classes or session. These are all mandatory. Residents must bring “Big Book” 12X12 and 10th Step Notebook and properly filled out sponsor cards and any homework to Office Meetings. All In-House Meetings are mandatory.

Daily 10th Step ______

A resident will complete the Daily 10th Step Recovery Work Sheet each night. Residents will answer the questions with an explanation for each answer. The questions need to be written out each night.

Television ______

There will be no Personal Computers, Laptops, portable DVD players, X-Boxes, Play Stations, PSP’s or Nintendo’s allowed at the houses. News and weather may only be viewed before meditation. Regular TV viewing time is after 4:00 PM only on weekdays, all day after meditation on weekends. TV is an extra. If it becomes a distraction from house or program, viewing may be modified at the Directors discretion.

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Visitors ______

After orientation, your family or friends are allowed to visit the main phase houses on Saturday and Sunday only. The resident will make arrangements with the House Director before the visit so they can meet and the visit be approved. Visitors are not allowed in the bedrooms. Residents are responsible to make sure their visitors adhere to all house rules. Any visitor determined be the Director to be a bad influence on the residents or the house will be asked to leave and be banned from visiting.

Residents are not allowed to have visitors wait for them in the parking lots. If a visitor is coming to pick up a resident, the resident needs to be ready and free to go.

Recovery related visitors (sponsors, 12 Step, OHI Alumni, and study volunteers) must be pre-approved by a Director for an on site visit.

Visiting hours are from 2PM until 6PM on Saturday and Sunday.

Visitations may be canceled if OHI is having an event or doing community service.

Visitors will not bring pets with them to visit at the houses or graduation/family days at the parks.

Children must be kept under control.

No displays of affection.

Visitors must stay in the visiting areas which are: Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, the back yard at the Sanger House or the front yard at the Clinton House.

Passes ______

After orientation is completed, a resident is eligible for a monthly 8-hour in-town pass with the approval of a Director. Also residents are eligible for a 24 hour pass once they complete their orientation period, a 48 hours pass may be applied for at 6 months, and a 72 hour pass at 9 and 12 months of residency. There is possible travel time granted for the 24 hours and 48 hour passes, but not for the 72 hour passes. Pass applications must contain the proper time for departing and arriving, the destination, who you will be with, what type of vehicle you will be traveling in, and a phone number where you can be reached at all times. Also, when and where you plan to attend a meeting and the purpose for your pass. This must be written and given to a Director for approval one week before your departure.

Transportation ______

OHI guarantees rides to and from work in Hobbs only, and meetings. Because rides are contingent on manpower, and not the exact time you want to leave, always be sure to communicate your needs to the Director ahead of time. Any other rides given are at the Directors courtesy only. There will be no smoking, dipping, chewing, eating, or drinking of any substance that can be put into your mouth or can be spilled in the vans. Residents must take a clean change of clothing and shoes to their jobs with them to change into at the end of their work day if they expect to get dirty or greasy. We have been blessed with decent transportation and we would like to keep it that way for all of our residents.