Services, Costs and Policies

[Services] [Costs] [Indigent Clients] [Court Ordered Clients]

We believe that it is insane to expect an alcoholic or addict to amend the alcohol or drug driven behavior without the benefit of a spiritual awakening therefore, each resident signs a recovery contract that includes working the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA) with a sponsor.

Our Services

When clients first move into the recovery house, they are directed to agencies  that can provide emergency food supplies and are encouraged to sign up for state food stamp programs. This helps until they can gain employment and get on their feet. We also direct clients to the temporary employment agencies where they can usually obtain initial employment.

At A Friend of Bill's, we are very active with our recovery houses. Staff members attend the house meetings which are held two times a week. We visit the houses every other day to provide assistance, answer questions, solve problems and attend to those issues which require our input. We also offer rides to meetings when someone from the staff is attending, but we do encourage the clients to build a support group and get phone numbers of other AA and NA participants who are usually eager to help. We also have house managers and monitors with six months to a year of sobriety that live on premises and aid our new clients whenever possible.

Every client participates in our recovery process, "Working The 12 Step Program", because they choose to. It is a great experience living with a group of men who are working hard to practice recovery.

The Costs Involved

The initial cost to move into Friend of Bill's recovery houses in TN is normally $265. This includes first week's service fees of $115.00 and last week of client commitment of $115 and a one time processing fee of $35. After that client will pay $115 weekly.  The initial cost to move into Friend of Bill's recovery houses in KY is normally $225. This includes first weeks service fees of $95 and the last week of client commitment and a one time processing fee of $35. After that clients pay $95 weekly. Once a month there is a $7.50 charge for cleaning supplies and other miscellaneous expenses.

Our Indigent Clients

About seventy percent of our clients are indigent and homeless when they seek our help. They come to us from hospitals, treatment centers and the court systems of Tennessee and surrounding states. When these indigent clients enter our program directly from a treatment center, they are not required to make a payment upon arrival. Although still responsible for the fees stated above, they are allowed a measure of time to find employment. As they begin to receive income, they are required to make additional payments until they are current on all fees and charges. Clients not coming directly from a treatment center are required to pay the initial fees indicated in the previous paragraph.

Of course it would be best if an individual client is able to support himself until he finds employment as this will take the pressure off and allow him to more effectively work his recovery program, but we will take in the indigent client coming from a treatment center and work with him until he can pay.

Before our indigent clients are admitted, we talk with their treatment center counselors, court officials, probation officers or judges to determine their suitability for our program. We look for clients with a positive attitude who are willing to work to improve their lives. They must be willing to work a recovery program within the context of Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous.

Court Ordered Clients

Some of the clients at A Friend of Bill's are placed with us through the court system and arrive under a condition of house arrest. We would like to assure area courts, judges and probation officers that these clients are closely monitored. The following special polices apply to such clients:

1. All clients under restriction are required to document their time away from the house. They must sign out, indicating the date, time and purpose for leaving. When they return, they must sign back in.  We have special forms for this purpose.
2. Restricted clients are required to attend daily AA or NA meetings. We have meeting forms that must be signed by the chairperson indicating meeting time, date, group name and subject. As we are heavily involved with all of the local recovery organizations, we can easily verify that meetings were actually attended.
3. If requested, we will perform random drug testing on restricted clients if the testing kits are provided by the court. Alternatively, we can perform occasional tests at a charge of $15.00 per test.
4. We have a employment verification form that must be completed by the restricted clients once they have obtained a job. Information on this form includes place of employment, phone number, supervisors name and extension and normal work hours. This information is an additional tool for tracking clients daily activities and a means for quickly contacting them in case of emergency.

Each of our houses has one or two managers and also house monitors that work with the clients to ensure rules are being followed and required documentation is being completed.

Additional Questions

For additional information about our recovery program, policies or costs, please submit our contact form or send email to recovery@friendofbills.com.