Elliot Bags and Community Involvement

At Royal Life Centers, we believe in being of service to the communities we call home. Our desire to be of service to those struggling with addiction is restless. We have become pillars of hope in the community we call our own, by providing help through various forms of service.

 

We serve the community by getting involved with community service and launching our own protocols to lessen the impact addiction has had on the communities we call ours. One of the ways we get involved to actively fight the stigma surrounding addiction is by showing our care and concern for those most affected by the grips of addiction: the homeless population.

 

Elliot Bags

Our dedication to lifting up community members around us has snowballed into a project inspired by one of our guests, whose life was unfortunately taken due to addiction. Elliot B. was one of the guests who had a big impact on all of us here at Royal Life Centers. After Elliot’s heart-breaking loss, his mother worked with us to create a lasting impact on those who are struggling with addiction like her son once was. This idea for a lasting impact of compassion and help for the sick and suffering addicts in the community launched the creation of our Elliot Bag project.

 

What Are Elliot Bags?

Elliot Bags are essentially care packages for those in the community who are suffering from homelessness, and homeless individuals who are suffering from addiction.

 

Our Elliot Bag project goes hand-in-hand with our homeless sponsorships because we offer addiction treatment to Elliot Bag recipients. Helping those whose lives are affected by addiction is our passion, and so we strive to make the biggest difference in our communities as we possibly can.

 

What Is Inside of an Elliot Bag?

An Elliot Bag is a care package that we personally hand out to homeless individuals in the community. Inside each Elliot Bag are essentials for living.

 

Our care packages contain basic necessities including:

• Food
• Water
• Blanket
• Poncho
• Deodorant
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Floss
• Hand sanitizer

 

Our mission is to provide as many people in the homeless community with help, lessening the challenges of homelessness with Elliot Bags.

 

Homeless Scholarships

Along with Elliot Bags, we offer two people in the homeless community a full scholarship to our addiction treatment centers, per month. Each of our addiction treatment centers offers two homeless scholarships to recipients of the Elliot Bag, which in total is six full scholarships given out to those who are homeless and living with an alcohol or substance use disorder.

 

We know that those who are homeless, have little to no access to addiction treatment— so we feel responsible for helping out those who cannot get help for their chronic substance abuse and mental health.

 

Homelessness in Washington State

In a study published by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, it was reported that nearly half of the homeless population was struggling with chronic substance abuse issues. Homeless affects such a large percentage of people in the United States, and it is truly our position to do everything we can to help homeless people get back on their feet.

In Washington state, there are 22,304 people who are homeless. Washington is one of the top ten states holding the highest populations of homelessness. In fact, 60% of all homeless individuals in Washington state are unsheltered.

 

Homelessness in Arizona

In Arizona, about 9,865 people are experiencing homelessness. Over half of the homeless individuals in Arizona are completely unsheltered. Last year, in 2018, on a single night over half a million people were experiencing homelessness in the United States. There are thousands of homeless individuals who are 25 years old and younger, who have no shelter in their homelessness. These statistics are excruciating for us at Royal Life Centers, and we are dedicated to making a difference in as many lives as possible.

Regardless of your situation, we believe if you are struggling with an alcohol or substance use disorder, you deserve addiction treatment. Because we are dedicated to helping our community in as many ways as possible, we provide addiction treatment to 72 homeless people each year, completely free of charge. Our devotion to service work in the homeless population is only the start of our overall community involvement. We are committed to improving each community that we call home, in as many ways as we can.

 

Community Involvement at Royal Life Centers

We continue to serve our communities by being of help anywhere we see an opening. Royal Life Centers upholds it commitment to being a strong source of support for each community that we are a part of. We jump at the chance to be of service to our communities, and lead and participate in many community service opportunities. Royal Life Centers regularly “adopts” local streets in the community to display our pride and civic responsibility. In adopting these streets, Royal Life Centers performs litter clean-ups and the cleaning up of any vandalism, to keep our communities beautiful.

In addition to street adoptions, Royal Life Centers participates in many trash pick-up opportunities. We also provide our guests with the option of participating in community service with us, as we believe in the power of helping others and taking responsibility to serve the communities we are a part of. In honoring our goal to maintain a high level of involvement within our local communities, our litter clean-up efforts occur regularly. Royal Life Centers aims to make a constant positive impact on the communities we serve.

 

Practicing Gratitude by Giving Back

Giving back is an integral part of being a part of your community. Volunteering will help you grasp a greater sense of gratitude because if you are in a position to help others, you are already very fortunate. In fact, helping others is beneficial to your overall health!

 

Did you know that volunteering showed improved social interaction, healthy behaviors, and your ability to cope—for both the volunteer and the individuals they help?

 

After gathering forty sources, researchers in the BMC Public Health journal state that people who volunteer gain immense benefits. These studies found that volunteers have lower levels of depression, increased life satisfaction, and an improved sense of well-being. Also, researchers found that those who volunteer have a 20% decreased risk of death.

 

According to research, the effect that your volunteer work has on those you are serving includes:

• Increased self-esteem
• Disease management
• Acceptance
• Parenting skills
• Healthy behaviors
• Mental health
• Quality of life
• Length of life
• Improved relationships

 

Volunteering has other health benefits for your physical and mental health. Not only can our guests benefit from volunteering, but they also get to help others in need.

 

Helping Others Helps You Heal in Recovery

Providing your time to a good cause is a compassionate act that will provide healing in your recovery journey. Volunteering in your community can reduce stress and forge bonds within the community, which is a building block of recovery.

 

Understanding that you are part of a bigger picture while still impacting others is a very humbling experience. Real-life experiences are incredibly impactful in the recovery process. Moreover, serving others less fortunate than yourself will provide you with an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

 

Treating your alcohol or substance use disorder doesn’t always have to look like intensive therapy within an addiction center setting. In fact, you can continue healing and bettering your recovery in ways that are outside of yourself.

 

Treatment for Drug and Alcohol Abuse

At Royal Life Centers, we offer programs that treat addiction in every stage of recovery. Our treatment programs follow guests through the stages of recovery, offering guidance and support along the way.

 

At Royal Life Centers, we have both inpatient and outpatient treatment services. We provide individualized, comprehensive addiction treatment at all of our treatment facilities.

 

Royal Life Centers offers treatment options including:

• Medical detox program
• Residential treatment program
• partial hospitalization program (PHP)
• Intensive outpatient program (IOP)
• Outpatient program (OP)
• Sober living program

 

In our rehab centers, each guest collaborates with their primary care team to develop an individualized treatment plan. In doing so, guests have control over their recovery in a treatment program tailored to meet their needs and goals.

 

Holistic Treatment for Addiction Recovery

With our holistic treatment program, Royal Life Centers uses proven effective methods of addiction treatment, and only the best practices. Our team of certified, licensed, and experienced professionals provides evidence-based therapies.

 

For example, our individual therapists utilize Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help our guests break free from addiction. We believe in helping each one of our guests develop the skills necessary to lead sober and successful lives.

 

Our intensive therapies for substance abuse treatment include:

• Individual therapy
• Group therapy
• Behavioral therapies
• Trauma-informed therapies
• Adventure therapies
• Expressive arts therapy
• Equine therapy

 

Royal Life Centers also offers community service opportunities in all of our treatment programs. In doing so, we help our guests practice gratitude and giving back as they reintegrate into the community. We believe in the power of being active members of a community, and giving back to it.

Royal Life Centers believes that the best way to help the community is by participating in community service initiatives. For more about Royal Life Center’s community involvement, please click here.

 

Reach Out

If you or someone you know is struggling with an addiction, please reach out to us at (877)-RECOVERY. Our admissions coordinators make themselves available to take your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Because We Care.