New supervised apartment for MICA graduates

23-mars-2010On Friday, March 19, three graduates of Portage’s Mentally Ill Chemical Abusers (MICA) program moved into a new supervised apartment in Montréal.

MICA graduates move into supervised housing once they have completed the residential phase of their therapy, which can take up to one year.  The apartment phase is an important stepping stone in which residents can gradually prepare themselves for their transition back into society. The apartments are shared by three or four people with a communal kitchen and living room.  Residents pay rent and stay anywhere from six months to two years.

During the supervised housing phase, residents continue to create weekly plans and to set goals and objectives for themselves with regards to taking care of their mental health, living on their own, and their reintegration into society.  They have group sessions on Tuesdays and big dinners with the whole MICA community every Thursday.

The three residents who moved into the new apartment have been eagerly looking forward to settling in.  The MICA community gathered at last Thursday’s dinner to wish them well.