Intermission House provides adolescents needing substance abuse treatment with a safe, supportive, family-like environment they often have never experienced. Intermission House, which serves 12 young people ages 14 to 18, guides them as they grow into independent, successful, and sober adults.

Project Ninety began Intermission House in 1999 after noticing many teens coming to the adult Primary Program on their 18th birthdays. Project Ninety believed it was imperative to treat the young people earlier in their addictions. By treating their addictions earlier on, Intermission House plants the seeds these adolescents need to enter adulthood free of substance abuse and ready to contribute to their communities as self-reliant, self-confident adults.

With Intermission House’s treatment, a young person is no longer a drain on the public school system with their poor attendance and performance. They develop self confidence and self esteem. They can distinguish between right and wrong, and experience the satisfaction of doing the right thing. Most of all, they understand they are not automatically destined to repeat the addiction cycle. They know they can create a better life for themself and for their own family.

Intermission House requires a minimum six-month stay. During that time the young person’s family is involved in the treatment to help strengthen recovery
and change family behaviors that contributed to the addiction.

Most of the adolescents entering Intermission House rarely attended school. Intermission House reverses that trend, stressing the importance of education and reminding a young person that education allows people to rise above poverty, crime, and addiction. There is access to on-site tutoring and also time is set aside each night for homework and studying. Many of the clients go on to become high-achieving students. With the help of Intermission House, a resident is more likely to continue their education through

college, university, trade school, or apprenticeship programs.

The education component of Intermission House builds upon its overall theme of teaching an adolescent how to be a productive and responsible member of the community. Intermission House becomes a positive influence by taking the place of non-existent or negative role models they had. The program teaches the basics they never learned — everything from what it means to be on time to how to hold a job, from how to tell the truth to not viewing adults as the enemy. These are skills most people growing up in positive, loving environments take for granted. A young person at Intermission House, however, begins the program not even understanding the concepts of such skills.

What the future holds...

Currently, Intermission House is in the process of licensing its third six-bed adolescent facility. The goal of Intermission House is to serve 30 adolescents in five group homes by 2010.

Alex: Project Ninety Alumnus, 2001

Alex had already decided that he wasn’t going back to his old way of life when he was offered a job at Intermission House. “Now that I work here I get to see me every day and also realize how much I’ve grown,” he says. Alex sees his time at Intermission House as “a great investment
for my future.” It not only made him smarter, but also better prepared to tackle everyday challenges. “I currently have four years and three months that I have been clean as a whistle,” he says.