Open Letter about Program Fee changes

 

Guests:

On October 7th, a Friday, more than 30 days from today's date of September 2nd, we will be moving to a new Program Fee schedule.

Instead of being $150 per month, it will now be $50 per week, which adds up (with some fluctuations) to $200 per month. There will be no paying in advance, but the $50 will have to be paid each Friday in order to remain another week.

 

To ease in the transition, here are the dates of each guest's next Program Fee owed, and how that will be handled.

Xxxx Xxxxxxx - September 2nd, $138 still owed, when paid, will be good through the 7th of October. This gives him 5 free days here.

Xxxx Xxxxxxx - September 25th, there would be $150 due, but instead only $35 will be charged, meaning that he too, will have 5 days free here.

Xxxx Xxxxxxx - September 30th, there would be $150 due, but instead only $10 will be charged, meaning that he too, will have 5 days free here.

Fourth Guest, still to be found - will be asked to pay $50 each Friday starting now.

On Friday, October 7th, each guest will be responsible for having $50, by work, by plasma donation, by friends, by other charitable or church organizations, or by any other appropriate means. Upon each following Friday, so long as they have $50, they will retain their place in the program. (Other rules not being violated either, of course.)

If they do not have $50 - the whole $50 - they will not be able to stay.

The reasons that prompted us to this change are as follows:

1. There are no sober living homes charging less than $250 per month per person. $50 per week still is less than that.

2. We literally cannot afford to operate the house at $150 per month per person, and need the additional funds this will generate.

3. Too often we have seen a person not save up for the Program Fee for the first 3 weeks, then wish an extension on the 4th week.

4. On some sad occasions we have seen a person spend $150 for the month, only to relapse and be asked to leave a few days later. We would rather a person only lose a portion of $50 then to lose such a larger amount of money.

5. This allows us, when a bed becomes available, to accept a person in faster, and have the bed unused for less time. Most do not have $150 up front. Instead, they always offer us $50 - and the rest later! This way, they can move right in for $50 and have one week to come up with the next $50, etc.

6. This focuses a person on self-improvement and doing the right things each and every week, not just at the end of the month.

7. While coming up with $150 at once can be difficult, coming up with $50 is usually within anyone's abilities.

8. This way we can bank on knowing that a given amount is coming in every week, instead of start dates scattered all over the month.

New guests will be encouraged to enter the Program on a Friday, with the $50. If a guest needs to move in on another day, then he will still pay $50. On the immediate Friday after that, he will not be assessed a Program Fee, but on the following Friday, a pro-rated amount, calculated at $7 per day, will be added to his weekly Program Fee.

Thus if a new guest enters on a Thursday, he pays $50. The next day, Friday, he pays nothing. The following Friday, he pays $57. $50 for the upcoming week, $7 for that Thursday not yet paid for.

If Wednesday, that would be an additional $14 owed, and so he would pay $57 for the next two Fridays.

If Tuesday, that would be an additional $21 owed, and so he would pay $57 for the next three Fridays.

Etc.

Any questions, call me at 217-720-2568. Thanks!

Dean West