Friends,

I am a recovering drug addict.

My addiction took me to places I never imagined. I lived on the streets with a $300-a-day heroin habit. With dark circles under my eyes and track marks up and down my arms, I felt dead; my soul was gone. At the time, life seemed hopeless.

After several attempts at rehabilitation, I successfully detoxed at the Seabrook House in Seabrook, New Jersey. I then entered a transitional facility in California where, during my three-month stay, I began to gather the tools necessary to live without drugs. I learned the simple life skills that are necessary to stay clean and obtain serenity in my life. I stayed in California for two and a half years while working and actively participating in 12-step recovery before returning home to New Jersey.

I have been drug-free for over tfourteen years. It takes addicts approximately two years of actively working in a recovery program to become stable, which doesn’t mean that we are cured and perfect; it just means that we have a pretty good chance—if we continue to apply the skills we have learned—to live a clean and healthy life. I am now a successful business woman actively involved in the recovery community.

Atlantic County has inadequate resources. Due to insurance restrictions, a patient’s stay in a detox rehabilitation center is limited to two weeks, after which there is no place to go to receive follow-up care. Two weeks of treatment is not enough time to change the attitudes and behaviors necessary for recovery.

The partnership formed with the Hendricks House has turned my dream to build a substance abuse halfway house into a reality. The Hansen House opened its doors to 24 men in November of 2004 and to 24 women at the adjacent women's house in December of 2005. In April of 2005, we also opened the Serenity House in Absecon, which is an extended care program for 8 men who may live there for up to two years after completing treatment at the Hansen or Hendricks Houses.

Our fundraising efforts continue in order to pay down the considerable debt acquired to construct and maintain our facilities.  Donations are also greatly needed to provide scholarships for clients in need.  We welcome your support. Please click here to learn about fundraising opportunities.

Yours truly,

Jennifer Hansen
President

Hansen House for Women

Grand Opening