Mission, Vision, & Values

The mission of Bridge House/Grace House is to provide gender sensitive treatment to men and women who have become dependent on alcohol or drugs so that they may lead sober and productive lives.

Long-term residential services are offered in an atmosphere that promotes dignity, honor and respect. These services are offered regardless of one’s ability to pay.

Positioning Statement

Our primary goal is providing treatment and support to men and women suffering with alcohol and drug addiction in the south Louisiana region. We achieve good results by utilizing time-proven methods of gender-specific group and individual substance abuse counseling, rehabilitation and vocational training programs. Our primary strategic advantage is derived from the many years of invaluable expertise and experience in our field. We sustain our efforts through policies of strong fiscal management and by our ability to maintain the goodwill and support of many private individuals and government programs.

As we developed this strategic plan, a shared vision emerged – a written picture of our intended future, from which our goals have been built. The key concepts of our shared vision are reflected in the paragraphs below.

Our Unifying Principles and the Bridge House / Grace House Philosophy

The following principles are an articulation of our organization’s values. These are very important to our organization and truly reflect the spirit of love, acceptance and support that we offer for each individual that enters into treatment at Bridge House / Grace House. These unifying principles guide our decision-making and our programmatic choices.

1. We believe in people and that men and women at times need help in order to overcome the problems of life. We hold it true that people can change their behavior and have the capacity of infinite growth.
2. We believe in the program of Alcoholic Anonymous as the primary tool of recovery.
3. We know from experience that there are a large number of men and women who need help and do not have the financial resources to obtain the needed help. It is the purpose of Bridge House/Grace House to furnish the needed help without charge.
4. Bridge House/Grace House believes that in order to furnish this financial help without charge that it will be necessary to obtain funding from an extensive and broad list of sources so to never become dependent on a single source.
5. We believe that it is a God-given responsibility to respond to the needs of these individuals and to work toward securing the necessary resources to respond to the needs of these individuals; all men and women are to be treated with dignity and respect.
6. Chemical dependency is a treatable disease and we believe it is our duty to inform the public that treatment is available and necessary.
7. We believe that financial responsibility is an integral part of recovery.

We believe that the chemically dependent person lacks the power within themselves to stay continuously sober. We do not agree that they are lacking in will power in general. Rather, we are convinced that the nature of addiction places the craving for drinking and drugs in the vegetative part of the brain at a level parallel to other instincts and drives and that “will-power” is no match for it. In this way the chemically dependent person is permanently disordered. There is no cure for this disease. They have an imprinted compulsion that will remain with them the rest of their lives. Thus, they must find some rehabilitative approach to compensate for this permanent condition.

The subtlest yet seriously debilitating aspects of this chemical dependency include psychological, social and spiritual problems. Many of these are openly denied. There is shame, guilt and progressive diminution of self-worth. Most chemically dependent people experience isolation and loneliness and are trapped in self-pity and resentment. They have enormous dependence needs with little emotional closeness, often coupled with grandiose and manipulative behavior. Even more devastating is the despair, cynicism and confusion as to what the problem is, or, what if anything, can be done about it. Dealing with this sea of symptoms is the heart of the new lifestyle therapy.