Recovery Services
Higgins House
In 1953, Cathedral Shelter opened Higgins House, Illinois’ first residential treatment home for men recovering from addiction, and one of the first in the nation. In addition to battling substance abuse, all Higgins House residents are homeless prior to entering the program, and typically about half are ex-offenders. Our goal at Higgins House is ambitious: to not only strengthen our residents’ ability to remain drug-free, but to help them achieve self-sufficiency. Our approach is to deliver an array of services which address the diverse challenges our residents face. In addition to receiving intensive substance abuse treatment, residents have access to computer tutoring; employment and education counseling; and money management, life skills, and parenting skills workshops, among other services. This multiple-services approach has been remarkably successful: each year, more than 50% of Higgins House’s 65 residents leave drug-free and employed. The national average for residential treatment homes is 20%. Higgins House has been commended as a model program by the United Way and the Illinois Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.
Outpatient Addiction Recovery Services
Established in 1992 and licensed by the Illinois Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, our outpatient addiction treatment services help over 200 men and women each year. Most of our outpatient clients have served time for drug-related offenses, and many are referred to us by the Illinois Department of Corrections. A significant number are homeless. Because our clients usually have neither health insurance nor Medicaid coverage, our outpatient services are one of the few addiction treatment options available to them.
We work with each outpatient client to design an individualized treatment plan, which may include both individual and group counseling sessions. Outpatient participants are also encouraged to use our other programs and services, especially Work Transitions services to enhance their employment prospects.
Cathedral Shelter is a Chicago Continuum of Care agency. Read the Chicago Continuum of Care’s notice on using and disclosing clients’ personal information.