| Gateway's Wish List
Have you cleaned out your attic or basement? Did you find an amazing deal at Costco and buy more than you need? Here is a list of some of the items that Gateway's Independent Living Program can always use...
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Furniture - beds, dressers, tables, chairs, couches
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Kitchen Ware - pots/pans, dishes, utensils
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Linens - Sheets, towels, rugs
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Paper Goods
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Cleaning Supplies
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| Kathleen Ross
Gateway
1401 20th Street South
Birmingham, AL 35205 205-510-2612
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| Greetings!
My New Year's Resolution for 2010 is to keep you informed about what is happening at Gateway. I know that if you are aware of the wonderful things going on, you will want to be an active part of it all...which means that even more wonderful things will occur!
The content of this monthly e-newsletter is up to you. Please let me know what interests you and what you would like to see; and I'll do my best to provide it. |
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Independent Living Program - ILP
In 1990, Gateway was awarded 10 slots as an extension of our DHR Residential Treatment contract to create an Independent Living Program. In the past, DHR had no choice but to discharge clients when they turned 18, regardless of their ability to successfully live independently in the community; but this new program was to be a "bridge to self-sufficiency" for young people aging out of "the system." In our most recent contract with DHR, Gateway was awarded a total of 52 slots to provide ILP services for youth ages 17 - 21 in Birmingham, Huntsville, and potentially Mobile.
Youth in Gateway's Independent Living Program are placed in apartments that are leased by Gateway and are provided with the basic necessities of life as they work and/or attend school. Gradually, they take on more and more of the responsibility for their own lives and their own expenses until they are able to assume their leases and utilities in their own names or are approved for Section 8 housing.
Within the program, ILP clients progress on a 5 level system, advancing as they learn skills designed to move them closer to independence. These skills may include using public transportation, obtaining a driver's license, applying for a job or for college/trade school, shopping, budgeting, maintaining their apartments, etc. Incentives including gift cards, cash, and expanded privileges are given at each level. |
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Sarah came to ILP from Gateway's Residential Program after graduation from high school. Her mother had a long history of alcohol/drug abuse, and both Sarah and her sister were removed from their home and placed in residential treatment programs.
From a lifetime of verbal abuse, Sarah had significant anger and self esteem problems. Her mother and other members of her family resented the sisters' efforts to educate themselves, and frequently told them that they would fail miserably. Through counseling and the support of ILP staff, Sarah learned to trust in herself and her abilities and to accept that she could succeed without her family's support.
Sarah became employed full-time at a local hospital as a transport aid and worked very hard to succeed in ILP. Her goal was stability, and she felt that if she could learn everything ILP could teach her, success would follow.
That hard work paid off. Sarah has completed ILP, is living in her very own apartment, and enjoying her job at the hospital. She is paying her own bills, paying taxes, and providing a valuable service to the community.
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 Off The Wall6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Hors d'oeuvres
Wine, beer, soft drinks
Live music
And every ticket holder goes home with a matted and framed photograph or a bottle of "liquid art."
Our Price: $100.00 each
List Price: Much, much more!
S & H: Free to the first 400 purchasers
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