Tempo - Residential Treatment Home - KEZI

Date: April 25, 2013

http://www.kezi.com/young-adult-treatment-center/

EUGENE, Ore. — A new treatment home is coming to Eugene to help young adults develop the skills they need to be successful in the community.

This new residential treatment home will serve young adults, all with mental health challenges that make it difficult for them to cope with the demands of life in the community. The home is called Tempo and will be on Ruby Avenue. Five residents ages 17 to 24 will learn the skills they need to be successful in school and in the workplace. Activities will include learning how to cook, fill out forms at the doctor’s office, shop for groceries and take classes. Unlike hospitals and typical institutions, the home-like environment is intended to make the transition smoother and more successful.

“We get the best outcomes, the more ‘normal’ experiences we can provide for them. So we don’t want to treat them as if there’s something wrong with them and stigmatize them because they’ve struggled and have had bad things happen to them. So we want to create as ‘normal’ environment as possible, so they can relax and feel like, hey I’m okay, I can be in a community, I don’t have to be in a facility,” said Kairos CEO Bob Lieberman.

A staff of 13 skills coaches will work with the young adults every day. Lieberman says the program is very intensive. The average stay for a resident is around six months. A similar home in Grants Pass helped 10 young adults transition to independent living in the first two months.

The treatment home in Eugene is set to open April 29.