I can’t live where I am living anymore, it’s not an option. My mom, my therapists want me in a group home. I have no other place to go, and they say I can’t take care of myself. If I explained my home situation you’d say go to the group home too. But idk how they work. I was wondering if anybody has lived in one or new someone who did or anything and can tell me your experience in one. Im living for a rug on the floor. It’s faces in it tell me it’s gonna be alright so I know that I can figure this out. I don’t want to live in my car. I’m on a diet too.
I’ve lived in various mental health housing with other mentally ill people but some homes actively treat you and you have responsibilities but others are less structured. The level of functioning of clients that some homes will accept can vary.
My first one was very unique and it was actually a world-famous house for schizophrenics. But it closed down and there are only two more like it left in the world today.
My next group home was actually called a “Residential Treatment Home”. It had counselors on duty 24 hours a day and it was very structured and the counselors who worked there tried to actively help the clients and we had to do chores, take turns cooking for the whole house, and we went on outings as a group twice a month to places like the beach or museums or parks.
The clients there had various mental illnesses ranging from bulimia to depression and they only accepted high-functioning (an ambiguous, vague term) clients. Later, in 1990. I moved into what I think most people would call a true group home. There was no treatment going on, no counselors.
It was run solely by a middle-aged married couple. There were 15 of us guys living there, no females. There were rules but there was not much structure and we had a lot of free time and we could come and go as we please. All we basically had to do was eat meals together everyday at the same time, keep our tiny rooms clean, and not go outside later than 10:00 pm. We didn’t have to clean or do chores.
We did not have to have any daytime activity. I myself, worked the whole five years I was there and went to school. Some of the other guys worked too but most people would just sit on the patio porch, smoking and talking. I will say that group homes will not tolerate anyone doing drugs or drinking and no violence was tolerated. No illegal activity was tolerated.
The house had a living room with a TV and the owner had a video collection that we could use. There was a phone that anybody could use but you had to get permission to use it first. The owners were in charge of our medication and doled it out every evening. We also had to share rooms, two to a room. It was lights out every night at 10:00 pm for everybody. If you get lucky you may make friends there your own age. The home I was in had people ranging from age 17 to age 60. I felt pretty safe there. As long as I didn’t tick anyone off, then people let me alone. There wasn’t really much to do there except watch TV and hang out.
group homes are bad generally. My mom didn’t know what to do with me anymore and decided to drop me off at a group home, and while we were getting me situated in a 10 by 9 foot room shared with two single beds my mom got an eyeful of the other members of the group home and how they were eyeballing mom. I sat on my bed after she left wondering what in hell I was going to do while my room mate was showing me his extensive knife collection. Mom came tearing back and parked in a frantic way and had me unsign the papers I had filled out to live there. I ended up getting an apartment and I liked that much better. You might see if you can qualify for section 8 housing. tell your mom you need to save up a little before you move out. this is a huge step for you and I don’t want to see you get hurt.
@77nick77 the world famous house for schizophrenics sounds interesting and cool. I’ve never heard of something like that. A residential treatment home that u mentioned sounds like the kind of group homes they have around here. Were you forced to take medicine while at these places? I was worried also nobody there would be my age just all older than me.
@jukebox wow yeah that doesn’t sound good. I probably would qualify for section 8 but I’m scared I’ll be in a bad area. Like where I could get attacked. I’m fearful of people a lot of people look sketchy to me or like they are going to hurt me.
I didn’t have to be forced to take medication. I’ve been on it since 1981 and I’ve accepted that I will be on it for life and I have no problem with that. I’m about 90% sure that if you are prescribed meds by a doctor, than these places will expect you to take them as prescribed. They do not want to deal with any crisis’s caused by non-compliance. I’m pretty sure that a condition to live in these places is to take your medication as prescribed.
I didn’t mean did they have to force you to take meds thinking that you didn’t want to take them, sorry should have worded it better. Anyways I was mainly trying to figure out if taking meds was part of living in a group home and if you don’t then you’ll be kicked out. I take meds but I have trouble taking them every day so it was one of my concerns.
Is the problem that you just forget to take them? Or do just not take them some days because you don’t feel like it? When I was in the group home the people who ran it kept everybodies medication in a back room and gave it out everyday night at 7:00 am sharp. They strictly enforced this routine.
I forgot sometimes and other times I don’t want to take it. But I’m getting better at taking them everyday but I don’t like the side effects. Just trying to deal with it. Yeah so it looks like if I was in a group home I’d have to take them every day.
Nobody likes side-effects. After being on my my current med for ten years I don’t even notice any side-effects. Maybe they are there but I don’t notice them. Most people do worse without meds. Anyway, good luck.
I just wanted to add that being in a group home was not terrible. There were things I liked about it and there were things I didn’t like about it.
I’ve lived in an assisted living center for the mentally ill in eastern Oklahoma for almost fifteen years. I’ve spent short periods of time in other assisted living centers, and I get the impression that the quality in these places can vary. One I went to was very structured. People stayed in group classes from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. I was on an ap called Prolixin, and I could not sit still, so I didn’t stay there long. At the assisted living center where I live now we stay in day treatment from about 8:30 am to 2:30 pm. We have a few classes, but the time isn’t too structured. We also have internet computers at this clubhouse we can get on for a few hours a day. The assisted living center where I am now isn’t bad. I think it has about 40 people. I am in the “independent living” program at this assisted living center, which means I have my own room, and I get a living allowance to buy my necessities. I can afford my own internet connection. I also get $143.00 a month food stamps. There are currently six people in this independent living program, but more are on the way. I have my own room, but that can vary in this program, depending on how I conduct myself. These assisted living centers are not resorts. In almost all of the ones I have been in the common toilets were usually fouled, with only one or two bathrooms fit for use. Other than that, life in them isn’t bad.
Yeah that sounds good like it’s not that bad. The bathroom situation would suck probably. I feel like I could deal with living in a group home for awhile but it would get old pretty quick. Do you drive, or do they allow you to have a car? Or do they drive you wherever you need to go?
They usually take us in vans when we need to go somewhere. We go into town in the vans once a week. At the assisted living center that was so structured I told you about, they went into town once a month. There is public transportation if you need to see the doctor.
You can look up violent crime statistic for an area, and then compare it to crime statistics in any other area in the country. This can give you a somewhat better idea of how dangerous a neighborhood might be. Where I live (Detroit area) some areas look deceiving if you go by stereotypes. The place I used to live is also deceiving (down in Indiana) as it was nestled in the middle of very rural communities, wholesome country like place right? Nope, some of the highest sexual assault statistics in the country, actually, last I checked years ago. Don’t let stereotypes fool you, look up the crime statistics for yourself and compare.
Yeah I’ll do that. That’s a good idea.
I lived in one for a time.
But i knew what my problem was so i left. I didn’t want to sit in their having my mind screwed and getting drugged.
They used to let us order food. You could get anything at all. They would seriously let you bake a ham and have everything with it if you wanted. But this was back when it was being funded so it’s very different now.
They also used to make apartments for us. But hey no money mo problems.
Couldn’t stay there though, i knew my head was being ■■■■■■ with and i didn’t want to live that life.
Sounds good about the food …I’m sorry you didn’t like it. Seems like me going into a group home will be hit or miss. And good and bad. I’ll have the weigh the pros and cons. Thanks for ur input.
It was fine.
But i left because i didn’t like having my brain ■■■■■■ with and drugged to death.
So i went for it! Tried to be free again. And i did for awhile, i made it back. But then they came back after about eight months or so. Possessed again and doped again.
Now i ■■■■■■■ hate spirits and magic with a burning passion.
On a sidenote did you know that the earth was created by sauron?
Wow. Sounds crazy.
Sauron…of course!
See if someone who is on your treatment team will take you around to tour a few different places. Sometimes if there is a good one you like, you can get on a waiting list if there isn’t a room right away.
Yes! That’s a good idea! I need to check it out before I go…see what I’m getting myself into. Thankssss