I had the honor and privilege to be one of the management team for 2 years at New Life and I considered New Life to be a leader in the treatment for substance issues and recovery from addiction. They have a kind and patient hand and never give up on clients. They show up for the crisis, the happiness and celebrate the lives that are around them. New Life empowers its staff to lead and participate in the daily needs of the client and fellow staff.
The services New Life has to offer are well established and integrated with the community of Sanat Cruz and are they are a Santa Cruz institution. I recommended this to people who work in the helping field and anyone suffering from addiction, you will be in great hands.
New Life and its sister program, the Gemma House, have improved our community for decades, and continue to do so. The Gemma house has some of the highest percentages of clients who do not reoffend after completing the program. Both programs have caring, dedicated employees and use evidence-based practices and trauma-informed care. New Life and Gemma work with other programs in the community, such as the sheriff's office, which allows staff to take a holistic approach towards client care and connecting clients to as many community resources as possible. Santa Cruz is a better place because of New Life and Gemma House.
I worked at New Life in 2017 for an internship to become a Alcohol and Drug Counselor. This is hands down the best residential center I have ever worked at in regard to the services rendered to patients, and the quality of training I received. The staff provided me with the education and experience I needed for a career in the field, and I saw countless patients turn their lives around as a result of their treatment. The staff is kind, compassionate, and informed on what is required to treat a person with a substance use disorder. I'm proud to return to New Life for a second internship. Highly reccomend NLCS to both addiction professionals in training, and for people looking for sobriety and hope.
New Life Community Services is having a powerful impact in Santa Cruz County by serving those who are struggling with addiction and reentry services. I have personally seen dozens upon dozens of people begin their recovery journey while at New Life, then go on to lead fulfilling and productive lives.
New Life Santa Cruz has been a godsend to our community during Covid. They stayed open, provided health care to marginalized society members, and protected all of their residents and staff. One need only read any national newspaper to know just how hard that was to achieve and how much gratitude New Life deserves from Santa Cruz.
New Life is a great option if you're looking to not only become clean and sober, but to learn how to be clean and sober out in the working world. Being a vocational program, all clients are required to find employment while in treatment. This helps with the transition out of treatment once you complete the program because you already have employment lined up, and you are used to being sober while experiencing everyday life and the triggers that come with it.
I LOVED my time working at New Life! I saw many lives changed through this program. The staff is loving and genuinely cares about people working through their recovery while also being very qualified and trained professionals in this field. While studying psychology in college and seeing lists that make a good recovery program, New Life checked every box. I was able to use them as an example in my assignments of what the best recovery programs should look like. I would refer anyone to this facility without reservation and am grateful that I was able to be a part of it.
I have been involved with New Life since 2017. I continue to be amazed by the people remaining sober after 6 months in our residential. I have been part of the recovery world for 37 years and I get to see people from New Life with long term sobriety being active members of society, rebuild their families and live happy useful lives. All the staff at New Life are really invested in helping alcoholics and drug addicts. I am blessed to be a part of it all.