A Day at the Garden Place Program
“Garden Place provides a secure, home-like residential setting for 12 adults.”
Sylvie is a beautiful 30-year-old with a past full of tragedy. The survivor of abuse suffered from dizziness, headaches, hearing voices, anxiety and paranoia that progressed in severity until one day she was found walking into traffic, unaware of where she was or what she was doing. After a few months of hospitalization, Sylvia arrived at ShelterCare’s Garden Place, diagnosed with schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder. Setting itself apart from many of our programs which provide relatively independent living situations, Garden Place provides a secure, home-like setting for 12 adults. The noncompulsive nature of Garden Place fosters a warm, non-judgmental atmosphere in which all the consumers feel free to be themselves, and to grow and progress at their own pace. Sylvie found a safe, inviting, yet controlled environment where her severe and disabling symptoms could be managed.
An average day at Garden Place includes community meals, group activities such as walks, craft circles, and cooking groups, and quieter time for residents to read, keep journals or watch TV. Each morning, residents
are invited to participate in a community meeting to talk about their own feelings and goals as well as to discuss matters of general concern. Learning to live in community and set personal goals are key steps in the journey of rebuilding the confidence, skills and hope that are critical to their future success. At Garden Place, Sylvie says “I have found the emotional support I need.” Currently enrolled in classes and with hopes for employment, Sylvie
plans to be able to move out on her own, and looks forward to the day when she will be a peer advocate so that she may help others as she has been helped.
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