Claire House for Women and Children

DO NOT GO TO THIS FACILITY!! If you go to Claire's House ..you will lose your child to the foster care system!! Due to the trauma that my daughter and I suffered by entering Claire's House, It has taken me a few years to write this. As God as my witness what I am about to tell you is 100% Absolutely true. When I was given a pamphlet describing Claire's house I was blown away. I couldn't believe i was blessed to be going to such an outstanding rehabilitation center. I should have known that it was too good to be true. First let me tell you .. The Track that they claim you will be able to use is not even on their property. And you will almost never get to use it. I point this out because it was one of the things that hooked me into choosing this facility. You will spend almost 90% of your time there in your room. Now I know this may sound good when you're in recovery and detoxing. But if you have your child with you it's not. Children are social by nature and are curious and want to explore and play with other children. But in Claire's House your child is expected to accept being isolated in your own room. Oh and your child better not make any noise either. They have a little playground in the backyard. And actually it's very nice. But just like the track.. your child will barely get to use it. They will have you bring your child outside and once they start having fun they tell you its time to go back to your room. I entered Claire's House because I was addicted to drugs. Like sooo many other men and women my addiction was rooted in the horrible abuse I suffered as a child. I wanted to be helped. I wanted more then anything for this place to educate me on how to live a drug free life. But that's not what this place is about.. it's all dressed up and decorated to appear that way but it's all a lie. This place is ALL ABOUT MONEY!! From the moment I entered Claire's House the group counselor absolutely hated me. It was a personal hate. I do not know why. My daughter was sent to a camp on the second day for about 3 hours. When she returned she told me that she was hungry. So I asked the coordinators if she could have a snack. At first they gave me this glaring look like my request was outrageous.. I was told ..She is a liar.. She ate at camp. So now I'm getting scared.. it's one this thing for me to make sacrifices and have to endure this but my daughter is a sweet innocent little girl who had the bad luck of getting an addict for a mother. So I'm crying because I really don't know what to do.. my daughter is hungry.. I'm stuck in this rehab.. I can't use the phone.. So I tell them I would like to transfer to another facility. They give my daughter a snack.. completely ignore my request to transfer and then tell me...Well if she didn't eat at camp ..then she should have. Next day in group I'm ridiculed because of my horrendous behavior the day before over a snack. So i attempt to absorb the things I am being told will help me overcome my addiction. Even though my counselor hates me and none of this makes sense. A few weeks into the program she wants to know why I am not receiving my food stamps yet. When you first enter Claire's House they will have you apply for food stamps and Medicaid and anything else you can get. Anyway..Rhonda says to me ..Why aren't you getting your food stamps yet? You know you and your daughter have been here for weeks eating off of everybody else. And she says this in the nastiest tone. Implying me & my daughter are just some free loaders. But what can I do? I applied for them like they told me to. I don't have any control what so ever on when I'll get food stamps or if I'm even approved. And for that matter..what if I am denied food stamps? Isn't Claire's House receiving government funding for us to begin with? Yes they are already receiving money. Every night before you go to sleep you have to fill out a form.. it's basically a reflection of your experience at Claire's house and how you feel about the counseling you're receiving.. Well Claire's House isn't interested in how you truly feel.. They're not worried about the truth..nope ...all they actually want ..is for you to write how great they & the place are ..and that you are receiving a top notch rehabilitation. This was my mistake.. I wrote my reflection and explained that I do not feel the counseling I'm receiving is helping me. I explain how Nancy acts as if she truly hates me.. I ask how am I suppose to trust Nancy and be rehabilitated when the person put in charge of rehabilitating me acts as if she cannot stand the sight of me? I was at Claire's house because I honestly wanted to understand my addiction and develop the tools to live a sober life. The next morning everybody is forced in their rooms and I am called into the office. They question me about the reflection I filled out. I explain how I feel ...like I've already been doing from the beginning. They ask me what I want and I tell them I would like to transfer to another facility. They tell me that is fine & they will get in contact with St. Bernard's Drug Court Coordinator to arrange my transfer. And I literally felt the weigh lift off of me. Like finally I can leave this horrible place and go somewhere to truly receive the help I need. That was a very short lived happiness. We all get up to leave the office. The director of Claire's House aggressively body bumps me!! I am in complete shock!! But I realize what she's doing.. She is trying to get me to hit her. But I don't take the bait. I never laid a hand on her!! And she and every single one of her staff know that is the truth!! What really amazed me was that nobody standing there even reacted to her assaulting me. Nobody! They all stood there like this was perfectly normal!! The director then ..starts screaming that I hit her.. when i never touched her at all and that she's calling the police. I am told to get out of the house immediately!! However, I can't leave the premises either. So police arrive and I'm explaining what just happened. Ask to see my daughter.. The police ask them if I can see my daughter..They refuse to allow me to see my daughter. One of the officers was very nice and he said he's heard nothing but bad stories about Claire's House. He tries to keep me calm because at this point I'm hysterically crying because I'm worried about my daughter. The officer explained that I am being arrested for assaulting the director. I ask about my daughter again and he told me that Claire's House was advised to call my daughter's father or her nanny. And one of them would pick her up. I am brought to jail. I finally talk to my daughter's father and he tells me that he nor her nanny have my daughter. MY DAUGHTER WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY BY CHILD SERVICES AND PLACED INTO FOSTER CARE!!!! CLAIRE'S HOUSE NEVER CALLED MY DAUGHTER'S FATHER OR MY DAUGHTER'S NANNY!!! THE ONLY CALL CLAIRE'S HOUSE MADE WAS TO CHILD SERVICES!!!!!! THEY TOLD THEM THAT I WAS GOING TO JAIL AND I HAD NOBODY TO TAKE CUSTODY OF MY DAUGHTER!!! LIES!!! LIED ABOUT ME HITTING HER..LIED TO THE POLICE ABOUT CALLING MY DAUGHTER'S FATHER OR HER NANNY AND LIED TO CHILD SERVICES THAT I HAD NOBODY WHO WOULD TAKE CUSTODY OF HER!! IT LOOKS BETTER FOR THEM IF I AM KICKED OUT BECAUSE I'M AN OUT OF CONTROL DRUG ADDICT ...RATHER THEN HAVE ME TRANSFER TO ANOTHER FACILITY BECAUSE OF THEIR INCOMPETENCE!!! THEY HATED ME SOOOOOO MUCH THAT THEY WERE WILLING TO SACRIFICE MY POOR INNOCENT DAUGHTER!!! THEY WANTED TO HURT ME AND THEY KNEW HOW MUCH I LOVE HER!! THEY CONSTANTLY TOLD ME THAT I SPOILED AND BABIED HER TOO MUCH!! I HAD NO IDEA WHERE MY DAUGHTER WAS FOR AN ENTIRE MONTH!!!! SHE WAS FORCED TO LIVE WITH 3 DIFFERENT FAMILIES FOR THE NEXT 6 MONTHS!! I CANNOT EXPRESS TO YOU ENOUGH... DO NOT GO TO CLAIRE'S HOUSE!! THERE IS NOTHING THERE BUT EVIL MONSTERS!! TO THIS DAY I SUFFER FROM THE GUILT OF WHAT MY DAUGHTER WAS FORCED TO EXPERIENCE!! And every single one of you who stood there and allowed your director to do that to me and my daughter should be ashamed of yourself!! You are all less then human!! I will put my hand on a bible and swear to everything I've just told you. And Claire's House if you want to challenge anything I've said ..Let's do it!! I'll be happy to take a polygraph test.