About A Fresh Start Sober Living Environments – Chicago
A Fresh Start is an organization that provides sober living environments that operate on the principles of both independence and accountability. The Belmont Women’s House, located in Roscoe Village in Chicago, Illinois, is one of two Fresh Start residences designated for women. Here, residents can find a safe place to live and recover while bridging the gap between inpatient treatments and completely independent living.
The program and rules of the Belmont Women’s House are designed to promote safe recovery and accountability for all the residents. The leaders in the house (most of whom also went through recovery in their lives) strongly encourage residents to practice the tools they learned from any treatment they underwent before coming to A Fresh Start. To keep the environment safe and the residents accountable, they do random drug tests and daily breathalyzing.
Additionally, the program requires the residents to have employment, to attend regular self help meetings, to engage in their 12 step programs, and to be able to live well with others. All of these elements are meant to help the residents grow in responsibility. One resident reported that she needed the structure and accountability and that living in the house was an “amazing experience.”
The Belmont Women’s House comes packed with great accommodations. They have a shared kitchen, TVs, fast WiFi, and on site laundry machines that accept coins. Residents sleep in two person bedrooms, and it all comes at a manageable weekly cost.
Outside, residents can visit numerous cozy cafes, coffee shops, and brunch restaurants. This also means that the residence is within walking distance of many places where someone can look for work if they need to.
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