ABOUT ALPHA PROJECT – CASA RAPHAEL
San Diego’s Alpha Project is a nonprofit organization that provides health and human services for adults, children, and families. As part of its offering, the organization operates Casa Raphael, a residential substance abuse treatment center for men. The program caters to men who are homeless and formerly incarcerated.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
According to the center’s website, its year-long program is divided into three stages. For the first three months, clients are provided food and housing while they receive healthcare and participate in counseling, recovery workshops, and daily journaling exercises. Clients also have access to case management services and guidance on legal and financial issues.
The second phase of treatment focuses on employment preparedness. Clients receive job training in fields including maintenance, graffiti removal, security, driving, and catering.
In the final phase of treatment, clients seek full-time employment. Once participants find jobs, they may continue to reside at Casa Raphael, but they are required to pay 30% of their income towards rent and save an additional 30%. Once a client has saved $1,500 and met their programmatic goals, they are deemed ready to graduate.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
According to a 2012 report by KPBS San Diego, 86% of Alpha Project’s counselors are former drug addicts or felons. The four reviewers polled by Best-rehabs.com at the time of this writing gave the staff’s level of training and experience an average rating of 3.75 out of five stars.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
There is currently no information provided by the facility regarding its living arrangements and related offerings. The four reviewers polled by Best-rehabs.com at the time of this writing provided a 3-star rating for the center’s accommodations and a 3.75 star for its cleanliness.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
Best-rehabs.com has not yet received any reviews from this facility’s alumni, and reviews submitted to third-party sites are scarce. Alpha Project’s Facebook page, which the organization can edit, includes one review from a user who identified himself as a client. Kenny provided a five-star review and expressed thanks. “Save my life and show me how to live ‘show me how to be a responsible productive citizen of society… Show me how to live a life drug and alcohol free… And changed a old way of thinking ‘into a new way of life…” he wrote.[1]
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
When asked how likely they were to recommend the facility to others, the four loved ones polled by Best-rehabs.com to date provided an average rating of 2.5 out of five stars. Survey respondents found the multi-step program to be effective, but not everyone appreciated the staff’s tactics. “They are big bullies This is a ‘residence lock-down’ program where you have you rights, possessions, and everything taken from you. Like prison, but with no state supervision,” one anonymous loved one wrote.
Friends and family members gave the highest overall rating, 4.75 stars, to the program’s affordability. “It provides a free way to be drug free, get a job and get an apartment in a three step process,” one reviewer summarized. The program’s exercise and leisure options received the lowest rating of 2.25 stars, indicating that the program offers few extras beyond treatment and job training.
FINANCING
Reviews submitted to Best-rehabs.com indicate that treatment is offered at no charge, though clients earning income must pay 30% of their wages to the center.
Updated March 2017