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Every Monday, women seeking refuge from their violent partners at Palladia's Aegis shelter engage in a non-traditional form of therapy. Instead of talking one-on-one about their past as victims of domestic violence, they discuss poems, write plays and become actresses in dramas about motherhood, suffering and hope.
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At Starhill and at the Parole Transition Program (PTP), recovering drug addicts and parolees strive to reintegrate into society. For many men, this involves connecting with their children, sometimes after years of absence. Afraid of being rejected, some give up on being fathers. But in 2001, with funding from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Palladia launched the Responsible Fathers Program to help men become part of their children's lives.
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Once a week, residents of Palladia's Esperanza residential program salute the sun and concentrate on their breathing while participating in the ancient practice of yoga. Led by a volunteer yoga teacher, the men transitioning from jail or rehab treatment have found yoga to be an important part of their rehabilitation process.
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For more than 20 years, Eleanor lived for the next crack fix. She slept on rooftops, abandoned buildings, subways and shelters. She ended up prostituting herself to buy drugs and spent several years in jail on prostitution and drugs possession charges. While living on the streets, she was infected with HIV through a rape. She started using drugs with her violent ex-husband. At that time, smoking made her numb to the beatings and humiliation. "It took me just six months to fall that hard," she said. "I lost everything: a house upstate, the car, the jewelry."
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Since 2004, Tonia has lived in three Palladia residential facilities and each time her life has improved. She became sober at Starhill, reconnected with her son at the Dreitzer Women and Children's center and reunited with her three daughters at Stratford House. Throughout her 18 years of drug addiction, Tonia had lost control of her life, but it only took four years with Palladia for her to become both a stable parent and a college graduate.
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At Starhill, Palladia's residential substance abuse program in the Bronx, clients learn to live without using drugs; they also gain self-esteem and build the necessary job skills to enter the job market. Being employed is a key component in recovery because it creates a sense of self-worth and independence.
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Palladia is currently building its first eco-friendly supportive housing on Fox Street in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx. With a scheduled opening this Fall, Fox Point will be a 48-unit complex for homeless families and low-income individuals requiring stable residences. On-site services such as case management will be offered for those transitioning to independent living.
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Palladia clients who are entering the job marketplace now have access to the suits and accessories they need to make a good first impression. Thanks to donations, the agency's Vocational Services staff organized two Career Closet days, during which some 150 men and women were dressed from head to toe.
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In the summer of 2009, Starhill residents will participate in the "Poetry Café under the Stars," a contest that allows them to share personal stories with fellow clients and staff. When Palladia created the annual "Poetry Slam" in 2003, this agency-wide event generated so much enthusiasm that Starhill staff decided to formalize the selection process and the Café was launched. Many residents at this addiction treatment center in the Bronx now use writing to explore their feelings, which is an important part of the recovery process.
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As the 2008 holiday season was approaching and the recession hit New York, Esperanza's new social action group decided to launch the "Give a Can if You Can" food drive. In one month between early December and the beginning of January, participants collected cans at several supermarkets in East Harlem and the Upper East Side, using flyers and boxes to attract the attention of passersby. Along with donations from Palladia staff, they gathered a total of 1525 cans.
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