Hope Community Services – background

Hope Community Services has been active in Western Australia for over a century, providing much needed support to people affected by alcohol and other drugs, youth justice issues and socioeconomic disadvantage.

Perth metro, Geraldton, Esperance, Kalgoorlie, Leonora, Laverton, Meekatharra, Karratha, Port Hedland, Broome and Kununurra.

Hope Springs Community Farm

Hope Springs Community Farm (Farm) is a therapeutic community adult rehabilitation service located at Walkaway, approximately 30 Kilometres outside of Geraldton WA.

About the Model

The Farm offers a residential drug and alcohol program based on the Therapeutic Community model and inspired by San Patrignano in Italy. This model of Therapeutic Community is characterised by:

• A person centred and holistic approach, utilising vocational training and a highly socialised environment to create a true-to-life experience where the community itself is the agent for change, permitting participants to return to fulfilling and productive lives free from alcohol and drug misuse.
• Increased length of time in the program, a factor proven crucial to improving outcomes.
• Ownership: the program, activities and spaces are created and codesigned with staff, clients, volunteers, and a community advisory group.
• Environmental and economic sustainability: the program aims to be partially self-supporting through the development of crops grown on the property as well as through a variety of social enterprises run by teams of residents and staff.

About the Program

The Farm can accommodate up to 27 residents. Residents receive hands-on training across a range of vocations including horticulture, wood handicrafts artisan bread-making and food preparation, some of which can be accredited. 

Each day, the emphasis is on striving to learn new skills, living and working together to build resilience and confidence to deal with the issues that have led to alcohol and drug dependency. The program features, farm work activities, group and individual reflection and coordinated group free time activities. In this setting, it is the community itself, and the relationships that are created within it, that are the catalysts for personal change. 

Contact

For more information please contact us at hopesprings@hopecs.org.au or call 08 9926 1987 during office hours or click on the link below

https://hopecommunityservices.org.au/info-for-you/clients/drugs-and-alcohol/hope-springs-community-farm/