The Arbour
The bigger picture
The majority of Nehemiah’s men had no father figure, many were physically abused and emotionally neglected as children and a high percentage were brought up below the poverty line. From a young age they were labelled by society as ‘bad’ people and gradually accepted it, going on to confirm that self-belief on the streets and in society through self-destructive behaviour and by escaping into drugs in order to try to feel good about themselves. They expect to be rejected because that’s all they have known.
Tough love
The Arbour Programme is a tough rehabilitation course that enables residents to permanently deal with their destructive behaviour and addictions, while also providing a supportive, therapeutic environment where they can address and resolve painful underlying issues – the root causes of their problems.
Nehemiah’s Rehab Programme brings about real and lasting change. The results, in fact, speak for themselves:
- 72% of our residential rehab graduates are clean from drugs/alcohol today
- 94% of our residential rehab graduates that were offenders have not reoffended and have stayed out of prison
- 32% have got married since graduating
(January 2001 to July 2008)
The Programme combines Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, the 12-Step method and group therapy. The men form healthy relationships and a strong work ethic, and make plans for the future. They learn new skills and take on responsibilities in the community, growing in confidence as they do so.
The life skills, character and relationships developed on the Programme build vital foundations. In fact, many graduates have gone on to work with excluded teenagers, young offenders, the homeless and other vulnerable people. They work with great passion, understanding and empathy because of their own experience.
Given this chance, these men flourish and return to society and their families as reformed men – with an enormous amount to offer, determined to right the wrongs of their past and focused on making a positive contribution.
Set in a tranquil area next to Tooting Bec Common, The Arbour is a beautiful house that provides residents with a secure and structured home – the likes of which most have never experienced. The Programme lasts 12 months, with key modules including: Drug and Alcohol Addiction; Criminal and Addictive Thinking; Socialisation; Release and Reintegration; and Relapse Prevention.
As mentioned above, every resident plays a disciplined and key part in the maintenance of the house, cleaning and catering. This responsibility further builds their confidence and sense of accountability.
Men either come to the Rehab from prison or are referred to us by specialist teams from a wide variety of London boroughs.
In order to run our programmes we rely on voluntary donations. Please click here if you believe this work should continue