ABOUT TLC CLEAN AND SOBER RESIDENTIAL
Founded in 1988, TLC Clean and Sober provides sober living accommodations for adults who are in the early stages of their recovery. The organization operates over 40 locations throughout the Bay Area, including a co-ed facility on San Francisco’s Ramsell St. Like all of TLC’s facilities, the Ramsell St. residence does not offer treatment or detoxification services. Rather, clients are provided with accountability and support within a safe, sober environment.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
In order to be eligible for admission to a TLC residence, an individual must have undergone substance abuse treatment or be nearing the completion of a treatment program. Once accepted, clients are expected to maintain their sobriety; those who experience a relapse will be immediately discharged. Discharged clients who provide proof of 24 hours of sobriety and pay a $250 reinstatement fee may be re-admitted at the staff’s discretion.
Duration of stay varies according to each client, but individuals are expected to commit to at least 30 days. While living at TLC, clients must attend daily recovery meetings, as well as bi-weekly house meetings. They must accept direction from the facility’s house manager and complete assigned chores. Employment, school, or regular volunteer work is strongly encouraged.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
According to TLC’s website, the owner and director of operations is a harm reduction counselor. Each residence is staffed by a trained and experienced house manager.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
The Ramsell St. facility is a tri-level home located between SF City College and San Francisco State University, just a 10-minute walk to a variety of public transportation options. The furnished home includes a full kitchen, cable TV, WiFi, long-distance phone service, and on-site laundry facilities. Residents are responsible for providing their own meals, towels, and bedding. Visitors are allowed on-site, provided they comply with the home’s rules. For the first 30 days, clients are expected to adhere to a 12 a.m. curfew.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
When asked how likely they were to recommend TLC to others, the one alum polled by Best-rehabs.com at the time of this writing provided an average rating of five out of five stars. They also gave the center’s accommodations and its level of cleanliness five-star ratings. “It has great facilities and do what what is expected of them,” they told Best-rehabs.com. When asked about the center’s weaknesses, this alum noted that the facility did not provide enough supervision.
Most reviews submitted to third-party review sites were also positive. On Google, 11 individuals provided an average rating of 4.4 out of five stars[1], and two Yelp reviewers each submitted five out of five stars for their experiences[2]. Multiple reviewers praised the center’s “clean,” “comfortable” accommodations and its “supportive” staff and environment. “The staff is very caring, location is great, highly recommend them,” Mike wrote in a representative five-star Google review. DeeDee, a Yelp reviewer, agreed with this assessment. “I needed a supportive, structured environment to bridge residential treatment and being on my own… TLC was there to provide me with a clean, comfortable and safe place to call home,” she wrote in her five-star Yelp review.
The two Google users who provided below-average ratings shared varying complaints. While Doug took issue with the facility’s “insane rules and curfews and punishments,” Claire characterized the center’s accommodations as “a tiny, dirty single bed in a dark room in a remote house.”
On the facility’s Facebook page, which the organization has the option to edit, two users provided ratings of five out of five stars, one individual submitted a four-star rating, and one former client provided a one-star review. Curtis, the one-star reviewer, submitted a lengthy comment that included complaints about the facility’s safety and its approach to handling in-house conflict. “They had violated my safety, committed egregious misconduct, and gross negligence,” he wrote. (Note that the Facebook page is for the organization as a whole and is not specific to the Ramsell St. location.)
FINANCING
According to TLC’s website, monthly fees range from $600 to $1500, depending on the facility’s location and amenities.
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