Roussel House Rules

·  ALL participants are required to engage in case management services at not less than one meeting bi-weekly. Helping Hands Outreach Ministries will review client files to assess needs, services, barriers to employment and other services needed. You are an integral and active participant here. Please address any needs, concerns, or other items you feel are important. 

·  Program Fees: If a participant receives a monthly disability or other support check, they are required to remit fees of 45% of their income up to a maximum of $180 per week.  If a participant is working a paying job, they are required to show their pay stubs and pay a fee of $180 per week.  

·  Program fees are due each Friday for the upcoming week. If the program fee is not paid within five days of the due date a $10.00 late fee will be charged.  Program fees will be prorated at your daily rate for days between Friday and Thursday of the following week.  There are situations when you may fall into arrears.  Your maximum allowed arrearage for Program Fees is three (3) weeks.  If your program fee balance is at this level or higher, program participation is subject to termination.  You cannot carry a past due balance for more than 21 days either consecutive or cumulative.   

·  The use and/or possession of drugs/alcohol & possession of drug paraphernalia is prohibited. Helping Hands Outreach Center adheres to a strict zero tolerance policy. Anyone entering the program will be subject to drug screening and a breathalyzer test; failure of either will be grounds for denial into the program until such time as you are drug and alcohol free. 

• Anyone who misuses substances while in the program will be required to meet with a LADAC and follow their recommendations. Any paraphernalia will be confiscated and properly disposed of. Spice is considered a drug in this facility and is not allowed. A drug is defined as any mind- or mood-altering substance NOT prescribed by a physician. We do allow tobacco use.  We do NOT allow Marijuana to be used even if it is prescribed by a physician due to it being a potential trigger for others. Neither is CBD allowed in any form.  
• You are subject to UA/Breath test for random or suspicion of use. Refusal to submit to testing will result in termination from the program. 
• Participants are required to attend mutual support (i.e., AA, NA, HA, or SMART) meetings as determined by the client and the Case Manager. 

·  Medications: 

o  NO prescription medications are to be kept in your rooms unless approved by the Case Manager or the Executive Director - vitamins and inhalers, for example. Any unauthorized medications found in rooms may result in disciplinary action. 

o  All prescribed medication is to be locked in the inner case management office.  The medication name, dosage, special instructions, and time to be taken are to be listed on your Resident Medication Sheet. Staff are available to provide access to medication during office hours 9am to 5pm, Monday through Friday, and at other times as needed based on work schedules.  Staff documents that medications were received by the residents.  Medications no longer prescribed will be sent for proper disposal.

o  Staff will review medications, as needed.

o  Opioids/Suboxone and other M.A.T. drugs are separately secured.  No medication is allowed that contains alcohol, ephedrine, or pseudoephedrine, as stated above.  

o  Over the counter medications can be kept in the residents’ room.

o  In case of emergency dial 911.

·  Unless you are on disability, you are required to seek employment while in the program. 

• Employment search logs, meeting list sheets and community service logs MUST be returned Monday of each week. 
• Search logs MUST have ten verifiable job searches per week. 
• Incomplete or missing job search logs will result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination from the program. 
• Volunteer service does NOT exempt participants from completing job searches. 

·  Unless you are on disability you are required to be out of the house no later than 9 am.  You are to actively look for employment from 9am to 4pm, with a reasonable break for lunch.  Those on disability must be out at 9 am and can return at 12:00 pm and may remain in the house the rest of the day.  During the Covid-19 Pandemic this policy may be altered.  

·  While being out during the day: (Suggested Activities) 

• Seeking Employment 
• Attending meetings (AA, NA, HA or SMART, Bible Studies) 
• Doctor or therapy appointments 
• Working 
• Volunteering 

·  Any resident who receives 3 incident reports within a 6-month period for any reason is subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal from the program. A House Manager can assign extra duty hours to remove an incident report from a resident’s record.  Some examples of incident reports are listed below, these are just guidelines and not the only reasons you may receive an incident report.  

• Failing to sign in at night. 
• Disrespecting a staff member or resident. 
• Not cleaning up after yourself. 
• Not going to meetings. 
• Not actively looking for a job or working (exception if you are disability) 

·  Chores are a requirement within our program. 

• Chores are assigned weekly and are required to be completed daily.  
• Failure to do assigned chores or signing the chore sheet when the chore is NOT completed may result in an incident report. 

·  Curfew:

o  You are responsible to sign in for the night at or before your appointed curfew unless you are working at which point you would write “work on the sign in sheet. Curfew is as follows: 

• Day 1 to day 13: 9 pm 
• Day 14 to day 27: 10 pm 
• Day 28 and beyond: 11 pm 

o  Missing curfew for any reason other than work, medical issues or weekend pass could result in automatic dismissal from the program. Once you sign in for curfew you may not leave the premises for any reason. You are allowed, however, to go out of the building to smoke a cigarette and come back into the building. Any resident that is here 2 weeks or less who misses curfew will be dismissed from the program. The sign in sheet is in the second-floor landing. 

o  You must be in your room no later than 11:00 pm every night for head count unless you are at work, at the hospital for a medical issue, or on a weekend pass.  If you are going to be late for curfew for any reason, you must call the House Manager to inform him of your whereabouts and expected time of arrival.  

o  If you have a medical issue that requires you to be out of the house past curfew at 11 pm you will be required to contact the House Manager upon re-entry into the house and present your hospital paperwork as proof of the time you arrived and the time you left the medical facility. Failure to do so could result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal from the program. 

·  Helping Hands is a smoke free facility. Anyone who is caught smoking anywhere in the building will be immediately dismissed from the program. This is due to both insurance and fire code requirements. Allowances are made for smokers to go outside to smoke either on the sidewalk or on the deck outside after 11 pm curfew. 

·  Participants are responsible for ensuring the building is always secure (except during business hours). Make sure all doors are locked upon entrance and exit from the building. Anyone requiring entry into the building after 11 pm (i.e., work or from a medical facility) MUST contact volunteer staff or the house manager to let them know they are re-entering the building. This is to ensure that the doors to the facility are secure. You are issued one set of keys. There is a $10 key/fob charge for replacement of keys/fobs. 

·  Rooms are furnished with a bed, dresser, pillow, bed linens, blankets, a refrigerator, and other furnishings. These items are the property of Helping Hands and not to leave the premises. All items are to be returned clean when exiting the program. 

·  No pets are allowed in the building at any time. 

·  Upon dismissal or exit from the program, all possessions are to be taken at that time.  We will keep any possessions left at Helping Hands for a MAXIMUM OF 2 WEEKS. After 2 weeks they will be either donated to Christian Aftercare Ministries or disposed of. 

·  Upon dismissal, expelled residents are to take their medications with them. Former residents are only allowedto get medications or possessions from 9 am to 5 pm when the office is open. We will NOT allow a former resident to get medication or possessions after 5 pm, before 9 am or on weekends and holidays. 

·  The following offenses are subject to IMMEDIATE dismissal and grounds for a permanent ban from the program and the property: 

• Any act of aggression, violence or confrontation with volunteer staff, House Managers, another resident, Case Manager, or the Executive Director. Acts of aggression, violence or confrontation include but are not limited to: Racial slurs, physical contact, conversations of an aggressive or loud nature, threats or other situations deemed to be violent to any resident, volunteer staff or paid staff. 
• Theft of ANY kind from a resident, staff or from Helping Hands. This may include unauthorized borrowing from another resident in which an issue arises that the lender was not paid back what was borrowed. 
• Any guest that does not follow the rules and is found to be causing an unnecessary issue to another resident will not be allowed to return. 
• ANY resident found to have a person or persons in their room that is not authorized to be in their room including a male or female guest. All residents are allowed to have guests in the community room only in view of the camera and within the allowed time during the day. 
• Anyone found to be or suspected of selling or trading drugs or alcohol of any kind. 
• Use of ANY terms meant to be racist, homophobic, transphobic, sexist, xenophobic or any other terms that are in any way discriminatory towards other people or groups. 

·  Rules in the above section are subject to change without prior notification to residents of Helping Hands Outreach Center and are on a case-by-case basis. 

·  Personal hygiene is required of all participants. If you require hygiene products, please communicate your needs to staff. 

·  Participants are not allowed in ANY room other than the one assigned by Helping Hands unless invited and in the presence of that person. 

·  Proper dress is required (Street clothes). Footwear is always required. 

·  Management reserves the right to inspect participants’ rooms to determine their physical condition: 

o  Regarding health and safety issues 

o  Unauthorized occupancy 

o  Protection of property 

o  Make needed repairs 

o  Alterations/Installations 

o  Energy conservation 

o  Contraband 

o  General inspection 

·  Upon exit from the program, please make sure you leave the room the way it was when you entered the program. 

·  You are required to keep your room clean and neat. 

• No personal furnishings are to be in the room you are assigned. 
• No furnishings will be taken from one room to another without staff permission 
• No alterations to the dwelling are allowed. 
• Do not tack, nail, paint or otherwise alter the physical property unless allowed by staff. 

·  Weekend Pass: 

o  You may request a weekend pass:  

o  After (3) weeks in the program. 

o  If no disciplinary actions have occurred. 

o  With approval from case manager or program director. 

o  Have less than one week of fees owed. 

o  One weekend pass is allowed every two weeks. 

o  Weekend pass MUST be in and approved by Thursday. 

§  Upon return from a weekend pass you are required to contact the House Manager or volunteer staff and submit to a UA/Breath test upon return to the program. 

·  Communal living requires that we be respectful of others. Please be courteous and keep noise levels reasonable. Please clean up after yourself. Properly dispose of cigarette butts. Wash your hands after using the restroom. Use gloves when handling food. Be considerate of others. 

·  The downstairs area closes at 11 pm.  Exceptions may be made for special events such as New Year’s Eve, Super Bowl, or playoff games.  

·  All residents are required to be in the basement area at 5:55 pm Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for house meetings unless at work, IOP or at a medical facility. Recovery meetings may be attended after the house meeting. ALL residents not attending IOP or at a medical facility are required to attend house meetings.Exceptions are made only by Case Manager and House Managers. 

·  Parking of residents’ cars behind 50 Lowell Street is not allowed from 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday, except on Holidays when staff is on vacation.