Dawn Farm

Dawn Farm is a non-profit, substance abuse recovery center with several centers in Washtenaw County, Michigan. It has strong morals of acceptance for anyone with a [...] or alcohol problems, regardless of lack of finances or insurance, religion, ethnicity, gender, type of substance abused, physical or mental handicap, political belief or [...] orientation. All patients, with any [...] dependency, are treated with steady therapy, and with the goal to return healthy and engaged to the community.

History

   In 1973, Gary Archie and Jack Scholtus organized and created Dawn Farm as a grassroots substance abuse recovery center. Borrowing ideas from Alcoholics Anonymous and from a Quebec residential program, they started their program in a rented farm on Stoney Creek Road. When they started out, they were a small program in the midst of many other small programs starting around the same time. In April 1973 they were incorporated with five volunteer trustees and Executive Director Gary Archie.
   When the State of Michigan and Washtenaw County asked Dawn Farm to take on three failed programs  its budget doubled and it become responsible for a Detox facility, a Women's Transitional Program for pregnant addicts and women with small children, and increased residential capacity at the Farm. In 2001 Ann Arbor and Dawn Farm worked together to form the program “Loose Change for Real Change”, a response to local panhandlers, and during this year also the first full-time Street Outreach street worker was hired.

Goal

Dawn Farm's goal is “to assist addicts and alcoholics in achieving long term recovery. Dawn Farm will identify and remove barriers that prevent addicts and alcoholics from joining the recovering community.”

Treatment

   Their programs are currently, (as of 2008), Residential Treatment, Sub-Acute Detoxification, Outpatient Services, Transitional Housing, Street Outreach, Jail Outreach, Women's Transitional, Daybreak Adolescent. These programs have licenses from the State of Michigan, and are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).

It has been recognized for its engagement of the recovering community and for its use of recovery management strategies.

   There are no drugs not treated by Dawn Farm. Some examples of common [...] treatment would be for: Alcohol, Hallucinogens, Methcathinone, [...], [...], PCP, Crystal [...], Inhalants, Prescription Opioids, DXM, Ketamine, Prescription Stimulants [...], [...], GH, [...]. Other information on these is located on Dawn Farm's website.

Criteria for application

• Without a primary psychiatric disorder
• Free of warrants for their arrest
• Age 17 or older
• Detoxified and chemical-free
• Motivated and willing to participate in program

Financial

   They had many fundraisers to buy their own property in 1982. The property bought was a  farm, and in 1984 a Re-entry house on Division Street in Ann Arbor. A new residential site was purchased on Huron Street in 1995, and after renovations it was open to the public in 2000 as a one to three month transitional site. Two years before, in 1998, Dawn Farm's first transitional housing was open on Chapin Street. This project was expanded in 1999 with the purchase of an eighteen-unit apartment complex. In the same year a transitional site for women in Ann Arbor is opened, as well as two more transition sites at 343 Beakes and 410 High Street. During 2001 an outpatient office was opened on Packard Road, and 112 Chapin was purchased.
   They have received many grants: from the Sage Foundation in Adrian in 1974, from Kresge Foundation in 1988, from Avalon Housing and numerous sources of public funding, but mostly they rely on fund raising. In 1982 they raised $118,000 to purchase the farm property, in 1988 $805,000 was raised to build a new farm facility, and every year since 1973 they hold their only public fund raiser.

Staff

Community Involvement

Dawn Farm holds a fundraiser called the Dawn Farm Jamboree each year since 1973. It is the only fundraiser they hold that is open to the public. They have many attractions, such as: a gift tent where they sell donations from local businesses, a kid's tent, a silent auction, a live auction, pony rides, hay rides, food, live music, and massages. Zingerman's is a high-quality food delicatessen, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It has a symbiotic relationship with Dawn Farm; when recoverees come out of Dawn Farm they need a job transition back into society. Zingerman's provides these people with jobs, and a positive working environment.

Dawn Farm believes that the stigma associated with addiction is a significant barrier to recovery and engages in various community education and stigma reduction efforts .

See also

• Alcoholics Anonymous
• Alcoholism
• [...] rehabilitation

External links

• Dawn Farm website