The Recovery Journey: Food and shelter are only the beginning...

Our programs are designed to help men and women fighting addiction and homelessness become sober, responsible members of society. They also offer an opportunity for women with young children (ages 0-3 years) to participate while staying together as a family at Helping Up Mission.

At any given time, we have over 540 men and women on our campuses in various stages of recovery. Their needs are as diverse as the population we serve, and we strive to meet each person where they are with the love of God and the comprehensive services that can lead them to wholeness.

How To Refer a Man or Woman to Our Recovery Program

Recovery Programs 2

Our Men’s Spiritual Recovery program is a 1-year residential program that helps men struggling with addiction or homelessness to rebuild their lives through a holistic approach to transformation. To refer a man to our program, please call (410) 929-6999>>

Recovery Programs 2 1

Our Women’s Spiritual Recovery program is a 1-year residential program that helps women and moms with young children (0-3 years) struggling with addiction, abuse or homelessness to rebuild their lives through a holistic approach to transformation. To refer a woman to our program, please visit our referral page now>>

Overnight Guest Services

Meals, Clothing, and Shelter for Men Experiencing Homelessness

Our Programs

Approximately 1/3 of 500 men at Helping Up Mission come directly from a state of homelessness: sleeping outdoors, in a car, in an abandoned house, or “couch-surfing.” They can find security, safety, and comfort as an overnight guest.

Our Programs 1

Our overnight guests receive a bed for the night, up to three full hot meals (dinner, breakfast, and lunch depending on stay), toiletries for showering, clean clothes, and an evening chapel message. If they realize a personal need for recovery, they may apply to our Spiritual Recovery Program.

Spiritual Recovery Program

Comprehensive Treatment for Women and Men Fighting Addiction and Homelessness

The flagship program of Helping Up Mission, the Spiritual Recovery Program integrates the latest scientific understanding of addiction treatment with intense spiritual development. For one full year, participants live here at the Mission in a 12-Step therapeutic community. They’ll be immersed in a culture of healing and wellness that meets their physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs through four timed phases: Seeds of Hope, Alpha, Omega, and Life Prep.

During this initial stage, participants receive professional clinical counseling, attend support and accountability meetings like Alcoholics Anonymous, and begin a spiritual 101 through Bible studies, chapel, and discipleship.

Each person also receives a Work Therapy assignment, which will account for nearly 40 hours a week of their time. By putting our guests in charge of major portions of daily life at the Mission, they gain an ownership stake in their own recoveries. This responsibility also develops self-respect, job skills, and work ethic — critical needs for life after the Mission.

Finally, the Seeds of Hope phase requires individuals to endure a blackout period eliminating almost all contact with the outside world (excepting family after two weeks). This helps break ties with unhealthy influences (people, places, and things), and allows a person to clear their bodies and minds of chemicals.

After successfully completing Seeds of Hope, men and women continue their personal growth through professional counseling, spiritual training, and work therapy. New areas of development include life skills and the habits of healthy, chemical-free living. They’ll have the opportunity to participate in life-enrichment activities like choir and art therapy, and receive customized treatment based on their own particular history or needs (like anger management, coping with childhood sexual abuse, etc.).

Additionally, participants resume measured contact with the outside world. They can attend church and support groups away from the Mission, have coffee with a sponsor, and communicate more frequently with family members.

During this third stage, program participants delve deeper into Scripture in classes, home groups, Bible studies, and churches, gaining new insight into God’s plan for their lives. They’ll continue meeting with professional counselors, learning how to mature through daily challenges and imperfect relationships.

Our guests will also have the opportunity to pursue new training and employment through trade schools. Those who did not complete high school can earn GEDs.

Finally, as the first six months of recovery come to a close, a heavy emphasis is placed on relapse prevention.

The final stage of the Spiritual Recovery Program lays the foundation for a return to society. By this time, women and men have been successfully completing Work Therapy on our campus for six months; they’re ready to pursue opportunities with external employers.

To ensure they’re equipped to juggle the many demands of independent living, our guests will continue participating in spiritual development and counseling when they aren’t working. Some of them require medical or dental care, and this is usually the time non-emergency health issues are addressed, thanks in no small measure to many generous community partners.

Finally, we help each person prepare for graduation by ensuring they’re plugged in with outside accountability: sponsors, recovery support groups, a home church, etc., are all critical to their lasting success.

The successful graduate of the Spiritual Recovery Program is not only sober, but transformed. They can expect to live a life that is reasonably happy without chemicals.

Every spring, we honor the men and women who have achieved this outstanding goal in a major gala celebration. The event is attended by hundreds of Mission friends. Past keynote speakers have included Ravens Head Coach Jon Harbaugh, former Maryland state senator Frank Kelly, and other community leaders. You can find out more information about our next graduation gala here.

See What Success Looks Like: Meet Some of Our Graduates

Resources for Spiritual Recovery Program Graduates

When a man or woman completes the Program at Helping Up Mission, they leave with the tools to live responsibly, and to pursue their own God-given potential. Yet life is filled with pressures: family, work, relationships, finances, and others. And when circumstances become overwhelming, people with prior addictions may stumble.

As God is filled with grace and mercy for His people, so too is Helping Up Mission here for these men and women.

Our Graduate Spiritual Recovery Program is a refresher course for HUM grads who’ve suffered relapse: a modified, 6-month version of our 12-month program, with a heavy focus on relapse prevention. It’s like “graduate studies,” and it’s helped a number of graduates get back on track and stay accountable to people who know and love them.

When a person has been addicted to drugs or alcohol for years, or even decades, sometimes they want more time in a safe, structured environment. In the Mission’s transitional housing, recent Spiritual Recovery Program graduates who are currently employed can reside for up to 5 additional years.

By remaining in this spiritually nurturing environment, they’ll be better equipped to retain their sobriety and independence when they do leave.

Here, each person is known by their neighbors, and held accountable to the standard of living established in the Spiritual Recovery Program.

There is a mutually supportive fellowship of understanding between participants at Helping Up Mission based on the shared experiences of addiction and recovery.

Men and women who are inspired to give back and help their brothers and sisters may be able do so as interns in the Life Prep phase or post-graduation. They serve in a variety of front-line positions with resume-enhancing responsibilities in every functional area of Mission life.

Indeed, many of our staff leaders in Director, Associate Director or Manager roles began as interns. Over two-thirds of our entire staff are Spiritual Recovery Program graduates. Their passion to continue transforming lives is one of the greatest strengths of Helping Up Mission.

Department of Veteran’s Affairs Housing

Help for Veterans Experiencing Homelessness

Our Programs 2

In 2011, HUM was privileged to establish a partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs to address the needs of homeless veterans in Greater Baltimore. We are honored to serve these American heroes, and to help them work towards the goal of securing permanent housing. There are typically about 25 veterans in our care through this partnership. These men may elect to transition to the Spiritual Recovery Program, where other veterans are also returning to wholeness.

If you or someone you know is a veteran in need of help, please call Program Manager Rasheed Savage at 410-675-7500 ext. 1154 or email him at rsavage@helpingup.org for more information.