Services >>  Women and Children Transitional Housing

The crucial need for safe housing

Safe housing continues to be a major barrier for newly recovering women. According to City Steps (Iowa City’s Consolidated Plan for Housing, Jobs & Services for Low-Income Residents), "Transitional housing serves as a bridge between emergency shelter and permanent housing by providing housing with supportive services to assist households towards self-sufficiency. Iowa City has very limited transitional housing opportunities for families." To address this need, MECCA opened a transitional housing program. This project addresses the major gaps identified by City Steps in services to low income people: transitional housing, substance abuse treatment, people with both substance abuse and multiple problems, such as mental health issues and other disabilities.

Combining substance abuse treatment and housing for women with children means a chance for a family to live in safe, affordable, drug-free housing; to stabilize employment, to have easy access to ongoing treatment and support; to become self-sufficient; to start a new life; and to break the cycle of substance abuse in the family.

A unique opportunity

MECCA's Transitional Housing Program is one of the few in the country that allows newly recovering women to live in apartments with their children while receiving on-going substance abuse treatment and other important services.

According to the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT),* "Treatment that addresses the full range of a woman’s needs is associated with increasing abstinence and improvement in other measures of recovery, including parenting skills and overall emotional health." As part of living in MECCA’s transitional housing, residents will receive counseling and support from MECCA and a number of community agencies with issues such as: budgeting, mental health, parenting, nutrition, job seeking and retention skills, and prenatal and family healthcare. Additionally, many of our residents need assistance in addressing domestic violence, sexual abuse, and homelessness.

Easy access to services makes a significant difference in successful outcomes. Substance abuse counseling and coordination of services occurs on the premises and continues through the transition to permanent housing.
 

MECCA Services

MECCA has been serving this community for over 30 years. Our services include: detoxification, outpatient, residential and aftercare. In addition, services are provided through community outreach and case management. According to CSAT, "Case management is essential to the successful continuing care of women recovering from abuse of alcohol and other drugs. The case manager facilitates continuing comprehensive care and follow-up services. The case manager also helps the recovering woman develop a healthier and more productive life for herself and her family."*
 

Our commitment to women and children

MECCA has a long-standing commitment to women and their recovery. We were the first residential treatment center in Iowa to offer a gender-specific program for women who did not have the ability to pay for private treatment. We have welcomed pregnant women, women with HIV, and women with a variety of co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders. Over time, this commitment has evolved into a collection of specific services developed for women and children.

Our staff treats families as a unit, with emphasis placed on assisting families in gaining health and stability. For the past six years, MECCA’s Women and Children Services have addressed the special needs of recovering women and their children by coordinating substance abuse treatment with community resources. Coordinating services and addressing individual family needs has proven to greatly increase the likelihood of success.
 

Construction

MECCA’s transitional housing has twelve apartments: ten with two bedrooms and two with three bedrooms. Twenty-five percent of the construction costs were funded by the largest City of Iowa City Community Development Block Grant ever granted. Construction was also covered by donations, rental payments by participating families, and private financing.
 

Starting over and moving on

All twelve apartments are furnished. Since most of the families who need transitional housing have little with which to begin their new lives, we provide a "starter" package of household items, including linens, cookware, dishes, cleaning items, and baby supplies. These items are being donated by local groups and individuals. The purpose of this program is to provide a transition into self-sufficient, independent housing as responsible members of the community. If a family stays in the program for at least six months, the "starter" package is gifted to them to take to their next home. We feel makes a significant difference for families to own and care for these items.