Jericho Roadroad

In collaboration with Salvation Army of Sitka and Sitka’s Faith Community, homeless assistance and referral services are offered. Jericho Road is a ‘housing first’ initiative.

Jericho Road is designed to provide safe and compassionate housing for the homeless chronic inebriate male population in our community. By this means, we hope to ‘step down’ the residents’ demands upon emergency services, and help them to establish less-costly primary care.

For more information, contact JERICHO ROAD (907) 747- 1076.

Overview

Once qualified, residents and the House Manager develop a Residential Plan, together. This Plan includes financial and other agreements, and is responsive to the adjustment needs of the individual resident, who may have been homeless for a protracted period of time.

Case management services are offered to assist residents’ stabilization. Jericho Road strives to connect all residents to appropriate community services including public assistance, job services, alcohol & chemical dependency treatment when desired, mental health counseling if needed, as well as basic services promoting physical health and other social service systems.

Jericho Road residents are encouraged to develop social skills. Most have spent extensive periods of time in environments of great risk and social isolation. Residents are further supported in the development of a network of support, including friends, family and professionals who can help establish lower-risk behavior, increase stability and promote basic life skills.

VOLUNTEERS WELCOME!

The Rulespath

Jericho Road is for safety.

Jericho Road has five (5) simple house rules, to provide for this. These rules are, as follows:

  1. No alcohol or illegal drugs on the premises.
  2. Respect: Yourself, other residents, staff, the neighbors, and the Jericho Road House.
  3. No violence or intimidation.
  4. Keep yourself clean, your private space clean, our common space clean, and public areas clean.
  5. Keep it simple. Live and let live: talk it over.

The Residents:

  • HOMELESS and
  • CHRONIC PUBLIC INEBRIATES

Prospective residents are qualified through a review process. For the safety of the home and neighbors, residents are screened, including a criminal background check.

Jericho Road does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, creed, religion, handicap, national origin, marital status, or sexual orientation.

The Project:

JERICHO Road is a collaborative project of Sitka’s Faith Community and the Community Behavioral Health Provider, Sitka Counseling & Prevention Services, a not-for-profit agency.

Jericho Road: ‘Who Is A Neighbor?’

In the parable, a man is mugged, robbed, and left bleeding beside the road. Two men, community leaders, pass by. They cross over to avoid the victim, and go on. A third man, a member of a despised minority, assists. He carries the victim out of the road, cares for him, and then provides a guarantee of shelter, until the man can go on.

Today, many things have changed. We have emergency medical systems which respond to calls with speed and competence. We have ‘Good Samaritan Laws’ to encourage the assistance of those found in trouble. With all this, and more, it may seem we have done enough.

Perhaps, but today’s parable is a bit different:

A person is mugged, robbed, and left bleeding beside the road. The victim looks dangerous, possibly diseased, as well as being injured. People pass by. Several call for assistance on cell phones. An aid car rushes, with lights and sirens, to the emergency room. Medical intervention provides for the survival of the patient.

However, the patient is indigent – homeless and a chronic public inebriate. Discharged from care, there is nowhere to go. Perhaps, he has ‘drunk up’ all his options. Once he is back on the street, a dangerous and very costly cycle starts again.

What is to be done? Jericho Road is an effort to provide an effective, compassionate response, at a lower cost in human suffering and in public resources.