Lighthouse Counseling Center Inc

Target demographics: Intensive Outpatient Substance Use Treatment, Permanent Supportive Housing, and Rape Response

Geographic areas served: Montgomery, AL and surrounding areas

Programs: Chemical Dependency and Recovery Program - Intensive outpatient substance use and dependency treatment program for adults, including specialized programs for incarcerated persons, women who are pregnant and/or have dependent children, those with co-occurring disorders (both a substance abuse diagnosis and a mental illness or chronic health condition), and persons at risk for HIV or having been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Housing for the Homeless - Serves area homeless persons with a substance abuse diagnosis and/or the chronically homeless. The program currently consists of 61 units of permanent supportive housing throughout the City of Montgomery. Forty-nine units of housing are provided to homeless persons with a substance use diagnosis and another disabling condition (co-occurring diagnosis, HIV/AIDS and or women who are pregnant and/or have dependent children) and an additional 12 units of permanent supportive housing for the chronically homeless. As a part of the supportive housing component, Lighthouse provides case management to assist these persons in accessing Federal benefits, assisting with health and wellness education and access, access to education, self-sufficiency skills and job training. Standing Together Against Rape - Forensic exam services are provided for victims of sexual assault through STAR. Specially trained forensic nurse examiners or SANEs cover nine counties through the main facility in Montgomery at the One Place Family Justice Center and two mobile units. The mobile sexual assault units are the only of their kind in operation in Alabama. In addition to providing adult and juvenile sexual assault exams, STAR is one of only two facilities in the state that provide pediatric forensic sexual assault exams. STAR maintains a 24 hour crisis hotline and a roster of Victim Advocates who provide victim advocacy, information and referral, and accompaniment during medical exams, law enforcement interviews, and court appearances. Services are available to sexual assault victims, their families and friends. Short term counseling and support groups are also available. Additionally, STAR facilitates the area Sexual Assault Response Team (SART). SART’s goal is to provide a coordinated community response to sexual violence. The Lighthouse’s STAR program is the founding agency and coordinator of the local SART/SANE whose goal is to coordinate all sexual assault response through the continuum of services provided to victims/survivors and their families. STAR staff also routinely provide community presentations and educational activities to inform the public of issues related to sexual violence and the availability of agency services.