House Rules and Resident Responsibilities

• Prior to admission to Willow Grove (WG), resident must read and sign “House Rules Contract,” including consent for observed urine and/or breath testing.
• All residents are subject to all house rules and will have the benefit of all resident privileges and services.
• All residents will attend house dinner and gathering weekly. Failure to attend may be cause for discharge.
• Residents must be out of bed and dressed each weekday by 8AM, unless working till 11PM (out of bed and dressed by 10AM, in that case).
• Each woman must post her work and planned meeting schedule on the bulletin board and must also post approved overnights on the calendar.
• Curfew is 11 PM. Anyone who expects to be out past 11 PM must call and get permission from the staff member on duty. Failure to make curfew may result in an earlier curfew or in some cases termination of your residency.
• Residents may not have pets at Willow Grove.

Sobriety and Health Care

• Each resident will remain clean and sober. Use of alcohol, mood altering drugs (non-prescription or prescription if not authorized by staff), or chemicals is cause for discharge and treatment facility referral.
• Bringing alcohol, mood altering drugs (non-prescription or unauthorized prescription), chemicals, or weapons (including BB guns, knives, etc.) into the house is cause for immediate discharge. Staff has the right to do room searches if contraband is believed to be present.
• Random observed urine and/or breath tests may be requested at any time during residence at WG. If the test is positive or if the resident refuses testing, she will be discharged and/or referred to treatment. Refusal to submit to urine/breath test is considered admission of use and resident will be discharged.
• Staff may at any time check the residents’ lockboxes to validate the correct prescription drugs and the correct amount of medicine, when taken according to directions, remains.
• Residents will attend a minimum of one 12-Step meeting each day (or an approved alternative). Exceptions may be made with the permission of CM/Staff.
• Residents will have a local 12-Step sponsor outside of WG by second week of residency.

Treatment Plan

• Residents will follow their individualized treatment plan which will emphasize the time limited nature of Willow Grove residence. The treatment plan will focus on such areas as a recovery plan and securing employment, medical care, counseling, etc.
• Residents will attend an individual meeting with Case Manager (CM) once per week and additional meetings as needed, in order to discuss progress with their treatment plan.
• Residents must apply for state assistance programs as appropriate by the second week of their stay.
• Resident may be discharged from WG if she cannot demonstrate consistent progress with her treatment plan.

Employment

• Each resident must be employed by the third week of her stay.
• If unemployed, each resident must document efforts of job search to CM for 5 hours per day and may not be at Willow Grove during the hours of 9:00 am until 3:00 pm. The resident must present a job search strategy to the CM.
• Appropriate employment is up to full-time between the hours of 5AM and 11PM. Overnight positions are discouraged but may be allowed by staff under certain circumstances.
• Residents may not work more than 50 hours per week.
• Residents may not quit a job unless they have obtained another one and have discussed their plan with the CM/Staff. If a resident is unable to work due to a disability, she is expected to obtain volunteer work or suitable activity in the same time frame.

Rent

• Rent must be paid to staff prior to house meeting each week by money order or bank check. There will be no reminders. Non-payment of rent may be cause for discharge.
• Rent is as follows: $ 50 per week for the first 4 weeks, $100 per week thereafter. If resident’s annual income is $50,000 or more, she will pay $200 per week. Returning residents must have prior balance paid in full. Rent is $100 per week/or $200 with annual income of $50,000 or more.
• $100 for 2 weeks rent must be paid prior to admittance.
• An optional percentage of take home pay may be deposited in a bank account for the resident to be used for a deposit on an apartment at time of discharge.
• Staff will assist in formulating a payment plan for residents who anticipate difficulty paying the full amount of rent each week.

Rooms and Personal Possessions

• Residents are not to enter other residents’ rooms without their permission and being accompanied by them.
• Residents are not to borrow or use any items that do not belong to them without express permission. This includes items that are stored in the garage by the landlord or previous residents.
• Residents are responsible for their own belongings. While WG will make every effort to keep the facility secure, it is not responsible for lost or stolen property. Residents are advised not to bring valuables with them.
• All residents must keep their personal areas neat and clean. This includes making your bed and picking up your clothes on a daily basis.
• Staff may decide to alter room assignments. No room changes will be made without the permission of the staff.
• No food is to be stored or eaten in bedrooms.
• No burning of candles in bedrooms. Lighted candles are permissible for dining area and living room and only under adult supervision. Do not leave candles unattended.

Visitors

• To protect residents’ need for privacy and quiet, general visiting hours are limited to 1– 4 on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Visitors are allowed in the common areas (kitchen, living room, dining room) only. At no time are visitors permitted in residents’ rooms. To do so may be cause for dismissal of the resident from WG. During non-visiting hours, friends and family may pick you up or drop you off at WG, but may not come inside.
• Residents are encouraged to associate with sponsors and other clean and sober women as much as possible. Residents may invite sponsors and other clean and sober women to visit WG during hours agreed upon by each side of the house. These hours are to be posted and not changed without household agreement and permission of the staff.
• All visitors must remain in the common areas and sign in and out on each visit.
• If there are extenuating circumstances, a resident may be allowed to have a visitor outside of the scheduled visiting hours with prior staff permission.
• Two weekends per month are allotted for overnight visits by children under the age of twelve. Children must sleep in the resident’s room. (See Overnights Policy and Procedure) Resident is responsible for full-time supervision and care of her children. Children are not to be left alone at any time.

Telephone Use and Quiet Hours

• Use of the household phone is limited to ten minutes. If a resident needs to use the phone for a longer period of time for business purposes, she needs to inform other residents so they can plan accordingly. We do not have long distance capability and we do not accept long distant collect calls.
• No incoming phone calls between 10 pm and 8 am.
• Activities ie: washing machine/dryer, loud tv, loud conversations, loud physical activity are not allowed during the hours of 10 pm and 8 am to respect residents’ ability to sleep.

Food and Chores

• Household food is for ALL residents and staff members unless individually purchased and labeled. DO NOT EAT OR USE ITEMS THAT ARE PERSONALLY LABELED.
• Grocery shopping is done once a week by WG volunteer(s) and a staff member. Residents will complete a running grocery list with attention to nutrition and budget.
• All residents will assume the household cleaning tasks. Dividing the chores is up to the residents. If residents cannot agree, staff may assign cleaning duties.
• When preparing meals, residents must clean up after themselves, including putting away all food and washing dishes. Dirty dishes are not to be left in the sink.

Confidentiality and Safety

• To keep WG safe and confidential, residents are asked to limit outside activities to the rear of the house. The back deck can be used for gathering and smoking. The front porch is not to be used at any time.
• Residents must respect confidentiality and not talk about or name other residents to non-residents. This rule applies to visitors as well. Resident is responsible for explaining this rule to her guests.
• Residents observing or suspecting rule violations by another resident should report the incident to the staff member on duty. WG staff will take appropriate action as deemed necessary. Confidentiality will be honored.

Smoking

• Smoking is not allowed inside Willow Grove at any time.
• Smoking is limited to the back deck only. Butt cans are provided. Cigarettes are not to be discarded on the lawn or driveway. All smokers are expected to keep WG property butt free. If you see it pick it up.
• Smoking is discouraged. Cessation programs are available locally.

Medications

• WG accepts residents taking medications for physical or psychological conditions if the resident is capable of taking full responsibility for administering and managing the medications independently. All prescribed medications are to be kept in provided locked boxes. Benzodiazepines and opiates (with the exception of prescribed buprenorphine) and other drugs that have the potential for abuse are not permitted.
• Documentation from the provider prescribing the medication must be on file for the resident upon admission or upon initiating the medication if this occurs after admission. Documentation will include name, date of prescription, name of medication, dose, frequency, duration, number dispensed, refills, indication, warning signs and symptoms, and who to call if there are concerns. CM/Staff must be notified of and approve any medication change.

Relationships with Others

• Physically intimate behavior, such as kissing and petting, are not permitted anywhere on the premises. This includes significant others on the property during visiting hours.
• Sexual encounters between residents are not permitted.
• Name-calling and violence are cause for discharge.
• Disputes will be settled among residents themselves. If a stalemate occurs, residents will seek HM/CM assistance.
• Name-calling and violence are cause for discharge.

I, the undersigned, agree to follow the above “House Rules” during my residency at Willow Grove and agree to observed periodic random urine and/or breath testing at WG. In addition, I agree to respect and protect the confidentiality of fellow residents.

Revised 4/09