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A few thoughts from Chuck...
I came to Oklahoma from another state, one with a
less progressive mental health system and virtually nothing in the way of
non-profit groups like Transition House. The system in that state seems geared
toward not only encouraging invalids but in creating them. Self-sufficiency is
scarcely mentioned. There are hospitals and group homes. There is the "real
world." But nobody has thought to try and build a viable bridge from point
A to point B. Mostly people just get stuck in a rut and stay there until they
die. Little thought is given to any kind of a viable transition into a
productive life. A life in which an individual is not merely an inert recipient
of taxpayer dollars and a chronic problem for the healthcare and judicial
systems.
That
is what Transition House does, and they do it every single day. They not only
help you get to point B-- i.e. an actual life-- but they remain available to
help you cope with the things you might not have been prepared for. That is,
they help you NOT to wind up back on the streets and back in the system (mental
health and/or judicial). Transition House does incredible work with limited
means. Many of us have jobs, or will before too long. Some of us who don't or
can't work regularly volunteer their time in a variety of places. One young
woman does incredible work at the Little River Zoo. Others volunteer their time
and talent at places like Food for Friends, the public library and other local
non-profit community enrichment programs.
On
the most basic level, they treat clients like valuable human beings. That, I
think, is the foundation that underlies everything else. The thing is, no matter
how severe our problems, we ARE human and we are still potential contributing
members of society. Sometimes we just need a better-than-even chance to get
there. The world being what it is, not everyone can get that. People die every
day for want of it. And some others just don't go anywhere.
If
your self-esteem is not in tatters by the time you get here, you're probably
just too sick to perceive what's going on. And poor self-image is what keeps 90
percent of us trapped in our personal hells. (That is a totally made-up
statistic, by the way, but if you wanna pay to get a survey done, I bet it
wouldn't be far off the mark.) The staff is always mindful of this, and they
seldom miss an opportunity to give someone the opportunity to feel a bit better
about themselves. This is such a simple thing, but very few people in this field
have any grasp of it. And without that basis, all the medicine and mind-games
and 12 steps in the world amount to little more than trying to bail water out of
a rapidly-sinking boat with a teaspoon.
 Good
money after bad is the rule rather than the exception. Money disappears
into a black hole and is never seen or heard from again. Transition House is
different. Pretty much nothing is wasted. They take a more holistic approach,
which in my opinion is the only sensible way to do it. In this world, everything
affects everything else. Mental health and substance abuse issues do not exist
in a vacuum, and you cannot try to treat them as separate entities removed from
everything else. Well, you CAN, a lot of people DO, but an approach like that
just keeps all the drawers in the morgue filled. Nothing disappears into black
budgets or mysterious "overhead" expenses. Every dime they get can be
accounted for, and pretty quickly too. Every single day, somebody benefits from
what they do here, whether it is concrete or intangible. They maintain
relationships with clients who move out into the community and continue to offer
such help as they can. I don't know of any other agency that does that. Recovery
from mental illness does not take place magically at the end of a one-year
period; it is a lifelong process, and one that requires nurturing or else you
might as well not bother. And the best stuff, the actual CARING, you get for
free. They take time, they take trouble, they don't give up. And sometimes that
is all a person really needs. In short then, if you can find a better place than
Transition House to give money to, for God's sake tell me where it is. I'll
believe it when I see it.
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