Westminster House, Recovery Centre for Women
Westminster House Friends and Alumni - Women Do RecoverWestminster House Friends and Alumni - Women Do RecoverWestminster House Friends and Alumni - Women Do RecoverWestminster House Friends and Alumni - Women Do Recover
Women do Recover

WESTMINSTER HOUSE GUIDELINES

  1. Use of any mood altering drugs, including alcohol will result in immediate discharge.
  2. Westminster House is a tobacco free zone; clients are required to abstain from using tobacco products while in residence.
  3. Westminster House is a fragrance free environment. Perfume, cologne and body spray are not permitted.
  4. For the first 14 days clients will be on retreat in order to stabilize within the program and connect with peers; no visitors, letter writing, or phone calls will be permitted. Clients will be on the buddy system. Clients who have children less than 18 years of age will be supported to have one 15-minute phone call per week. Other exceptions include: Mental Health Worker and calls related to funding.
  5. The following items are not permitted in or around the premises: substance use-related paraphernalia, alcohol and illicit drugs, pornography, weapons (guns, knives, etc.), lottery tickets, mouthwash, laxatives, cell phones and personal ghetto blasters.
  6. All medications must be blister packed through London Drugs and kept locked in the office. Westminster House deals with London Drugs only. Scheduled programming time for Doctors appointments are on Wednesday afternoons.
  7. Clients are required to be up at 6:30 a.m.; be showered, dressed and have their bed made and are ready for breakfast by 7:00 a.m.; Clients need to be ready to go to the meeting at 7:40 a.m.
  8. All clients are required to attend 11 AA or NA meetings a week. Mon-Fri all clients are required to attend a morning meeting. Clients are supported to miss 1 meeting a week for self-care. Sunday night meeting is mandatory. If clients are late for a meeting or leave at half time, the meeting does not count.
  9. Staff to be consulted in the event there is a request for a change in chores.
  10. Clients need to be home for dinner at 5:15pm Sunday to Thursday unless given special permission to not be included at dinner. Clients need to be at dinner table for all meals.
  11. Dinner guests are not permitted Monday thru Thursday. This includes Alumni.
  12. No drinking coffee from the Last Door.
  13. Trips to the local mall or dollar store are limited to twice a week. Women are encouraged to find alternative indoor activities that broaden their recreational choices.
  14. I-PODS and MP-3 players are not permitted at the facility.
  15. Client phone will be unplugged during lunch and dinnertime, and again at 10:30 pm. The phone will be plugged in again the following day, after group. All phone calls are to last no longer than 15 minutes, this gives all clients the opportunity to use the phone or receive a call; please use timer.
  16. Children may stay overnight one night on the weekend. One child overnight at a time. Parent must supervise children at all times. Boys (5 and under) Girls (no age limit)
  17. Visiting hours are daily between 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. (except Thursday afternoons due to group) and 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. (except Tuesday evenings due to speaker meeting). Please share with your peer’s in-group who will be visiting.
  18. Overnight visits will be considered on an individual basis near the end of the clients stay to support transitioning into the community.
  19. Clients to be back home by 10:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday; by 12:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday; and by 9:30 p.m. on Sunday. Clients who are on an overnight need to return to the house by 5:15 for dinner. Curfew on weekends may be extended under special circumstances for planned event attendance. Lights out at 11pm during the week and 12:30 am weekends (Friday & Saturday).
  20. Food or drink is not permitted in client bedrooms at any time, exception with water. No food or drink is permitted in the living room except on video nights, and during group; clients can bring their tea/water into group.
  21. No violence or abusive talk of any kind will be tolerated.
  22. No drug-talk or war stories.
  23. No romantic relationships within the house, clients will be discharged.
  24. No writing on Step work in the library until after step 5. We do not support giving letters to clients to obtain library cards.
  25. Clients may access the internet after step nine.
  26. Reading material prior to Step Nine is limited to NA / AA literature, meditation books and group handouts; in order to build a strong foundation of recovery and become accustomed to the ideas and philosophies of the 12 Step programs. No purchasing magazines or newspapers.
  27. Any sickness or accident to be reported to a staff member immediately, regardless of the severity. If client is feeling ill, clients must get up and attend the morning meeting and report to day staff upon returning to look at further action needed.
  28. Vehicles are not to be operated during primary care Westminster House.
  29. Piercing, ear lobe stretching and tattooing is not permitted while at Westminster House.
  30. Director or staff may ask to check purses, packages, pockets and rooms at any time.
  31. When a client chooses to leave before they have completed the program they are unable to call the client line for a period of 30 days.
  32. No stopping at the Last Door Monday thru Thursday unless given special permission by the staff at Westminster House.
  33. Clients must be in pairs during the day until 6pm then in 3’s at night this includes alumni, unless given special permission by staff.
  34. Clients are put back on retreat during step 4 from all family members and partners. This does not include children 18 years and under.
  35. Absolutely no bringing outside food back to the premises for personal consumption during the week (Sun-thurs). On Friday and Saturday clients can purchase snacks for movie night and keep them in the pantry. All snacks must be eaten by 9:30 pm Sunday night.
  36. Clients must take all of their belongings upon discharge. Belongings will not be held after a 24 hour period. Medications are packaged at London Drugs and should be picked up immediately after discharge. London Drugs does not hold medications longer than 24 hours.