A Path to Healing & Stability

Sisters In Christ (SIC) Recovery Housing is a vital lifeline for women rebuilding their lives after facing some of life’s hardest challenges—including substance use disorder, mental health issues, incarceration, and homelessness. The program offers supportive transitional housing in Jackson County, Missouri, with a focus on neighborhoods most impacted by these issues.

Women accepted into the program receive 12 to 18 months of holistic, gender-responsive services designed to support recovery, independence, and long-term stability. Whether referred by the court system, treatment providers, or community partners, every participant is welcomed into a safe, structured, and compassionate environment.

A Phased Approach To Recovery

SIC’s recovery housing program is built around a four-phase model, with each residence offering progressively more independence and responsibility. Movement through the phases is based on progress, readiness, and individual goals.

Phase 1 – Serenity House

The journey begins at Serenity House, where women receive an initial physical and mental health assessment and begin creating a personalized treatment plan. This early stage is designed to stabilize participants in a nurturing and structured environment. Daily routines, therapy, and community-building activities help each woman lay the groundwork for long-term recovery.

Phase 2 – Carolyn’s House of Faith or Habakkuk House

After 30–60 days, women move to either Carolyn’s House of Faith or Habakkuk House, both of which emphasize accountability, peer support, and structured independence. Residents attend support groups, continue therapy and mental health care, participate in life skills and job training, and begin or continue employment to contribute to program costs.

Here, women also work toward educational goals, reconnect with family (including reunification with children), and receive assistance with parenting and child welfare services.

Phase 3 – Advanced Sober Living

As recovery strengthens, participants may transition to Carolyn’s House of Faith (Phase 3), where the focus shifts toward eliminating criminal behavior and reinforcing long-term recovery. Continued engagement with court obligations, mental health care, spiritual development, and 12-step programming remains essential.

Phase 4 – Exodus House

For women nearing full independence but still facing barriers to permanent housing, Exodus House serves as a final transitional step. This low-supervision residence offers three beds for those who need more time before moving to independent housing. Not all participants require this phase, but for some, it’s a critical bridge to long-term success.

Specialized Mental Health Support – Evanston House

Women with more pronounced mental health needs or dual diagnoses (substance use disorder and another mental health condition) may begin or transfer to Evanston House, where treatment is tailored to their challenges. Participants receive coordinated care across substance use, mental health, trauma, and case management services.

Integrated, Trauma-Informed & Gender-Specific Care

SIC’s approach recognizes that women’s paths to addiction and recovery differ from men’s. The program’s wraparound services reflect this, emphasizing:

• Relational healing (family and partner influences)

• Parenting and custody support

• Treatment for co-occurring mental health disorders

• Trauma-informed practices

• Spiritual exploration and growth

• Employment readiness and life skills

All services are coordinated through a continuity-of-care model that integrates behavioral health, recovery support, mental health therapy, and social services. Every woman in SIC’s housing program is affected by trauma, and the organization is deeply committed to providing therapeutic, trauma-free environments at every stage of the recovery process.

Treatment That Meets Every Need

Each participant develops a personalized treatment plan that includes:

• Individual and group therapy

• Recovery coaching

• AA/NA/CA meeting attendance

• Substance use and mental health counseling

• Parenting and family support

• Case management and court-related support

• Employment and educational planning

If a participant experiences a relapse, she is supported—not punished. She may return to Serenity House to begin again, reinforcing the program’s commitment to second chances and long-term change.

Real-World Results & Community Impact

In 2023, Sisters In Christ served 109 women, all of whom experienced co-occurring disorders, including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, personality disorders, and schizophrenia. Most were uninsured, living in poverty, had criminal records, and were survivors of abuse and trauma. Many had never maintained stable employment.

Despite these obstacles, SIC’s model leads to measurable outcomes:

• Women return to productive roles in their families, workplaces, and communities

•  Reductions in relapse, homelessness, and family dysfunction

• Increased employment, education, and housing stability

SIC’s model addresses the deeply intertwined issues of substance use, trauma, and mental illness. The organization ensures women are never forced to choose between treating their addiction or their mental health. Integrated care means better outcomes and long-term healing.

Why This Program Matters

The need is urgent and growing. Nationally, nearly 9 million Americans live with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders, yet fewer than 8% receive appropriate care. In Missouri alone, more than 21,000 adults in 2022 had co-occurring conditions—and women made up a large share of that number.

Women in particular face greater barriers to accessing care due to stigma, parenting responsibilities, and underdiagnosis. Many start using substances in connection with relationships or to cope with untreated trauma. Most programs don’t fully address these complexities—but SIC does.

Meeting Women Where They Are

Sisters In Christ doesn’t expect women to arrive “ready.” The program accepts women in active recovery, even those recently released from incarceration or just exiting treatment, regardless of current income or employment status.

Through safe housing, coordinated services, and a nonjudgmental environment, SIC helps women regain control of their lives and rebuild their sense of self-worth, one day at a time.

Locations

Click on the window icon (upper right corner) of the map below to expand. List of all program locations is included with expanded view of map. Locations are also listed on this page below the map.