Substance Abuse Intervention

Covenant House provides substance abuse intervention by offering the CHAMP program, which stands for Covenant House Addiction Management Project. CHAMP is a licensed, six-week residential substance abuse treatment program, which incorporates conventional therapy with homelessness. Phases include:

Assessment

• Full and psycho-social assessment
• Chemical dependency evaluation
• SASSI (Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory)
• Development of individual CHAMP case plan and assignment of trained CHAMP case manager
• Introduction to 12-step recovery
• Medical examination

Treatment

• Participation in daily CHAMP business meetings, Alcoholics Anonymous and/or Narcotics Anonymous meetings
• Weekday group therapy
• Enlistment of a recovery sponsor
• Individual therapy and family therapy when appropriate
• Groups on anger management, conflict resolution and self-esteem
• Daily oversight from CHAMP case manager
• Supervised drug-free recreation
• Random drug tests
• Relapse prevention
• Assistance toward moving from crisis shelter to a stable living situation including family reunification whenever possible and independent living for older adolescents who cannot return home
• Opportunity to apply for Covenant House Florida’s Rights of Passage, a two-phase transitional housing project

CHAMP was launched in 1987 in response to a lack of available treatment for homeless youth. The project has received both state and national recognition from organizations including the Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association and the White House Conference for a Drug Free America. CHAMP ahs been partially funded by the Broward County Children’s services Board since 1989.