Most of our supporters know of our two main treatment campuses, Jacquelyn and Bonita House. A lesser known hidden gem is our original location on Paschall, just north of downtown off North Main Street. This location is where Santa Maria began in the late 1950’s as a residence for substance use disorder treatment. Much has changed since then with the science of recovery and the best practices of treatment. However, this wonderful old Victorian home has become the center of a vibrant recovery community. One advantage is that it gives a home to our PAC (Peer Advisory Council) an organization designed to build recovery relationships among the recent graduates of our treatment programs. This group is led by recent graduates of our treatment programs and gives them the opportunity to step out of their comfort zone and integrate into being a productive member of the recovery community.

Before COVID restrictions were in place, this group scheduled bike tours, monthly recovery celebrations, bake sales and attended recovery meetings in this wonderful space. Now, like the rest of us, their Council has been meeting by ZOOM and over the phone to keep in touch. At a recent meeting, officers planned the sale of PAC tee shirts on our website.

They also discussed ways to engage soon-to-graduate participants from our residential treatment programs. Through lived experience, they all know that a community of peers is absolutely essential for support and connection. The guidance from this organization comes from Santa Maria’s own recovery support specialists, Amelia Murphy and Lillian Stephens.

The roster of PAC officers is a snapshot of the strength these women have to offer.  Their activities and vocational goals are a testament to the world of possibilities opened by their own journeys.  They are each choosing to “give back” to those struggling by finding jobs in the field of recovery or through their commitment to PAC.

• President Holly – studying to become an LCDC (Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor).

• Vice President Ronnie – a Peer Recovery Coach working as part of a frontline opioid intervention team at Houston Recovery Center.

• Treasurer Cassandra – a full-time health care worker able to beat the odds of her past to regain a starting position. She was soon promoted and is currently training to be an x-ray technician at her employer’s clinic.

• Secretary April – beginning a new position at Luna Recovery as a recovery advocate and moving to her first independent apartment with her twin sons.

• Community Organizer Jessica – part of the street peer group at Mercy Street Church, also studying for her LCDC.

• Community Organizer Heather – currently completing her recovery coach training.

Here at Santa Maria, we know there is so much that is needed to change the direction of a life. Finding purpose, a support structure, goals for the realization of meaningful and fruitful employment and building lifelong friendships take forethought and structure.  Our beloved PAC provides that bond for those who want to stay involved with their sisters in recovery.

They are the face of RecovHery!

If you would like to  purchase a T-shirt to support the PAC, click here.

Sometimes you have to lose something to realize how precious it is to you.  This was true for Shannon and her right to vote.  She realized how important this election is for Americans.  Shannon wanted to cast her ballot and use her voice.  Up until now, a felony conviction had kept her from exercising this basic right, but with new laws passed, her privilege was restored.

Shown here after the staff drove her to a nearby polling place, she is energized and happy to have cast her very first ballot at the age of 41.

“Some of the decisions I had made in my addiction left me with a criminal history.  Although I have made mistakes; I am still a citizen and an actual part of the society,’ Shannon says. ‘I have changed my ways, leaving the path of destruction I was on.   I feel like I am not labeled as an outcast any more.  I have worked to gain my integrity.  I voted for my children’s future and safety.”

Shannon is one of our new moms, a resident of our criminal justice program, Women Helping Ourselves (WHO).  She was referred from the court and three days after arriving from the Harris County Jail, she gave birth to her “life changing blessing” infant son, Cleveland (CJ for short).  He was a healthy boy and they have bonded and grown together during her stay.

Shannon had been on the streets with a full -fledged and likely fatal substance use disorder.  She was, fortunately, arrested and offered a chance of treatment and the chance of a brighter futures.  She says she arrived with “sneaky and manipulative thinking” and was met with “uncut, raw and brutally honest kindness” that instilled the integrity of thought that she exercises today.  After her discharge, she plans to move to a transitional living center, find a great childcare center and look for employment to begin her new chapter.

She reminds us all of the great privilege it is to live in a democracy and exercise our right to vote!  She is looking forward to a productive and self-fulfilling life with her beloved baby son.  She is the Face of RecovHERy.

Santa Maria wishes to express their strong opposition to the rule change adopted on Friday, October 9 during the joint meeting of the Texas Behavioral Health Council and the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners. This ruling changed a section of the state’s code of conduct that establishes when a social worker may refuse to serve someone. With the change, language was removed prohibiting social workers from refusing to serve clients solely due to their disability, sexual orientation or gender identity. The rule change effectively removes protections in place to both individuals with disabilities and to individuals from the LGBTQ community. Governor Gregg Abbot’s office recommended the change. Santa Maria does not and will not discriminate in our services to any population seeking services for treatment. We believe that this rule change will further reinforce the stigma of behavioral health services and discourage people with disabilities, LGTBQ communities and other vulnerable populations from seeking and receiving treatment. We believe that this ruling be reversed.

Click HERE to read the letter from the Network of Behavioral Healthcare Providers for more information.

Seeking Safety is a type of therapy that is used to help people obtain a sense of safety from both trauma and substance use disorder. It is an evidenced-based approach offered in a protected group setting that promotes physical and emotional safety for each participant. Seeking Safety teaches present-focused coping skills to help clients attain safety in their lives. It allows participants to move through treatment topics that represent safe coping skills relevant to both trauma and/or substance use, such as “Asking for Help”, “Creating Meaning”, “Compassion”, and “Healing from Anger”.

The primary goals of Seeking Safety are to reduce trauma and/or substance use symptoms by increasing these skills. Participants are helped in obtaining techniques related to relationships, critical thinking, behavior and their emotions.  The approach provides concrete strategies to build recovery skills. It is one of the standard treatment models we practice at Santa Maria.

Our client’s respond to these sessions by replying to an anonymous survey each month.  Here are some of their comments… In Her Voice!

“Seeking safety is the first place I’ve ever been able to feel safe closing my eyes.”

“I always feel safe and respected and it helps my own self-esteem and for me to have respect towards myself.”

“They are very respectful when they ask me questions, and even before they ask, they warn me about the sensitivity of the said question to prepare me and make sure them asking is okay by me.”

“I understand that this is part of my healing.  I am learning so much about my inner illnesses.”

“I’m so proud in coming to Santa Maria. They have thought me a lot about myself and my addiction.”

“The staff explained to me why they asked about difficult experiences in my life (i.e., violence or abuse).”

“My counselor is amazing. She listens to me about what works and doesn’t work for my recovery.”

“This is my safe haven.”

Please consider purchasing one or multiple copies of “A Woman’s Addiction Workbook” for our participants, available from Amazon through the link below. This incredible resource is the perfect tool for our participants to use while working through Seeking Safety.

Click to Purchase This Workbook For One Of Our Residents

You may send the workbook to 2605 Parker Rd., Houston, Tx 77093 attention to Marcia Chaney.

Come Home Houston is a new program recently awarded through funding from SAMSHA to Baylor College of Medicine, with Santa Maria (SMH) serving as a sub-grantee. The award is for a 5 year period for nearly $2 million. The grant will be specifically targeted to serve underserved homeless individuals who are living with both substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders. These services will be targeted in areas where there are high concentrations of women who need support; identified by data and designated by zip code. It appears that these identified areas share a common lack of access to available support services, creating conditions where women face steep barriers to self-sufficiency. These barriers include low levels of employment, poverty, poor educational backgrounds, prior criminal justice involvement and incarceration, trauma histories and lack of family support. In short, almost every barrier standing on its own restricts successful reentry after treatment. Combined, these barriers require intensive intervention to provide a better probability of lasting recovery.

Santa Maria has been selected as the site to provide services for these identified individuals. Primary treatment will include integrated substance use disorder and mental health treatment. The program expects to assist 60 participants a year to successfully gain housing. This will be achieved by support and individualized services related to recovery housing, health, life skills, vocational training and employment coaching. It will also include a strong enhancement of tobacco and vaping cessation services. The approach used will emphasize survivor empowerment and peer support. The program will also be tailored to be culturally responsive to the needs of black and Latina female substance users who experience homelessness at a disproportionate rate. All participants will have access to a level of recovery support that will assist them in reconstructing their lives.

“Given our long and successful history of partnership with SMH, we were excited to receive the Come Home Houston funding and participate together in a new project,” says Maribel Mosqueda, MPA/HCA project manager for Baylor, Department of Family and Community Medicine. She continues, “This current project is going to help address real areas of need with its focus on those who are homeless and it is certainly timely in our current climate.  Besides the standard treatment services, this robust program is highlighted by a tobacco and vaping cessation program for the participants.  It showcases that tobacco is an addictive substance and along with opioid and alcohol use is extremely detrimental.  We knew that because Santa Maria was a tobacco-free community, these additional services would be most welcome.”

Women are already being selected by our case managers and coaching staff who have deep roots in the communities targeted by these objectives. As they are admitted, they are assigned a recovery coach and a counselor. They also are welcomed to their new residence.

We wish to thank Family Missions West for stepping up to create welcome baskets for the new arrivals. These baskets of basic needs and comfort will indeed assist the women in settling in and understanding that they have arrived at a place of safety and promise.

Recalling earlier projects with SMH, Maribel Mosqueda says, “When I first began work with SMH, I was able to sit in on a round table discussion of the initial participation and impact of a program.  I learned that these services really do make a difference. It is a treatment model that works. I am so supportive of our partnership. Observing the persistence displayed by our participants to reach their goals makes it wonderful to be a part of the work. When we saw this opportunity to apply for funding, we wanted a chance to again make Santa Maria our partner.”

This grant ensures that the door will be kept open for disenfranchised women in our community to receive life- changing services.  We are grateful for our partnership at Baylor, the relationships with the team there and for the opportunity to empower women to lead healthy, successful, productive and self-fulfilling lives.

Participants at Santa Maria  

A Profile of Admissions Data

78%  Single

98%  Below poverty level

89%  Homeless

100%  Substance use disorder

85%  Domestic violence or severe trauma histories

78%  Co-occurring mental health disorder

94%  Unemployed

52%  Without GED or high school diploma

64%  Prior criminal justice involvement

43%  Active CPS case

70%  Current smoker