Woodburn, OR – April 7, 2023 — Marion County Health & Human Services (MCHHS) is hosting an open house for the agency’s new program, His Place. The event is Wednesday, April 12th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The County’s Board of Commissioners will conduct a ribbon cutting at Noon to celebrate the opening.
His Place provides substance use disorder treatment services and transitional housing with onsite childcare for fathers with dependent children. Children up to age five years at the time of admission may reside in His Place structured housing with their father.
While at His Place, residents have access to outpatient services, onsite childcare for treatment groups, onsite parent/child therapy sessions and onsite staff supervised visits with DHS involved children. Additionally, residents have access to living skills services and peer delivered services.
His Place gives men a home where they can support each other, feel connected and be part of a community. It helps them maintain and sustain their sobriety, while allowing them the opportunity to continue parenting their children.
The program fills a need in the community where there are many treatment programs for mothers, but few designed for fathers. Most substance use disorder treatment transitional housing programs for men do not allow children.
“Children being placed with their fathers and those fathers having an active role in their child’s lives increases their opportunity for success, and reduces the risk for continued trauma,” says MCHHS Program Manager, Teri Morgan. “We not only intervene to help people find recovery from substance abuse, but we are also keeping families together.”
His Place is modeled after MCHHS’ Her Place, which has been in Marion County for more than 25 years. Marion County Health and Human Services has operated Her Place since July 1, 2009, serving pregnant and parenting women in need of transitional housing and substance use disorder treatment services.