Van Ness Recovery House

I was in the house almost 3 months and in the end they stole 490 dollars from me. They also messed with my medications while I was there. Frankly Kathy was a bitch and has a huge ego. So ironic considering how much they said we had to smash our egos when she was a narcissistic obnoxious bitch. She should be ashamed of herself for messing with my gabapentin and stealing from me. She cared more about my insurance and fucking with me than she did my recovery. Wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone. Kathy’s approach to helping people was obnoxious and rude. She would never admit it but she clearly gets off on the control she has over the residents.

I was a resident at the Van Ness House almost 20 years ago and I'm shocked to see the head of the facility is still there. Disappointing. The positive: It's a nice large facility built in an old Hollywood Mansion. Please, don't mistake this to mean luxurious. I'm sure at one time the likely once glorious home fell into disrepair, but it has been whipped into shape into a comfortable, mostly utilitarian facility. There's enough of the old charm there to give it character. The shared rooms are comfortable, as are the living and dining rooms. Residents are well fed. Three hardy meals and plenty of fruit and healthy snacks sit out to grab throughout the day. The staff and their "unique" style of brutalizing recovery out of people is what I remember so disheartening. Like many, if not most, past residents, I was thrown out at one point. I was asked a question during a group session, was told I was a liar and placed on probation. (I'm an alcoholic, I'm a born liar, but it was not true at that session) A few days later I walked into an AA meeting at the exact time it was scheduled to start. Since we were expected to be early, or at least prompt. I was thrown out. This is not about sour grapes. My sponsor had me well connected, and I was given assistance until I was allowed back in. Many are not so lucky. Sadly, this is the Van Ness format. Excessive regulations, name calling, and punishment, to rid the house of those who aren't "humble" to save the ones who are. The challenge is being humble is an act at the house because you are always walking on eggshells. Is telling the truth being humble, or saying what the staff wants to hear? This is probably the most nerve-wracking part of living there. Speaking truth is not important. Speaking the staff's truth, whatever it may be at the moment, is. If I sound disjointed it's because it's difficult putting the Van Ness House environment into words. Imagine how difficult it is to comprehend in the very earliest days off sobriety. Humility, and being humble are the words tossed around most at this facility. As one frustrated former board member told me, they keep seeming to forget humility is in Step 7. How can a 12-step recovery house get this so wrong. You'll find plenty of people in LA (probably thousands) who are grateful for the Van Ness House for helping them get sober. I have little doubt you'll find an equal number who, like me, are grateful for their sobriety despite their experience at the Van Ness House. I was definitely at my bottom to have wanted sobriety so badly that I kept it after having been there. What makes me sad when I think of the Van Ness House, is not the many who have had a bad experience, such as myself, I'm more concerned about those who returned to homelessness, or worse, because they were thrown out for not knowing the right word at the right time. You're told to be honest, but God only knows what words will come out of your mouth after the lightening round that goes on in your brain in the few seconds you try to figure out what the staff wants to hear. It's a horribly negative, feisty environment, where residents are frequently encouraged to turn on each other. Many have gone there because they had no other choice. If that's the case, its better than drinking. If you have a choice to go elsewhere. Anywhere. Take it.

I was in the house and the truth is at the time I wasn't ready to be clean. Kathy, Loyda and everyone that worked there loved me where I was at regardless of me not wanting to stay clean at that moment and honest with myself. They told me that I was worth something, they taught me that it's okay to care for myself and if I wanted to be sober I would be I'm now celebrating 3 years sober. And I learned all of the basics from them thank you so much Kathy Watts you are amazing and I'm indebted to you.

Utter garbage- Lloyda Perez, Nancy Garcia, Kathy Watt have nothing to live for aside from the misery they inflict/and have done to countless persons who have had to come in contact with them. They are ruthless thieves, ugly and rotten garbage who are so hateful and bitter they refuse to surround Themselves with anything different from their divorced/hateful/ugly and oppressed peronas- Lloyda is especially the ugliest ex wannabe gangster drug addict of them all- she probably has soo many countless enemies that she does nothing but work at that mental health favility and go home to her ogre and wallow in the mess of an excuse for life she calls for herself (i hope u get covid u wicked trash) you get what u deserve

My Partner entered this so called Rehab and it pretty much followed the script Ive read happened to peoples loved ones. the imposed the 60 black out period. Our last phone call at that time was him wrestling with someone for the phone, he yelling my name and people in the back ground screaming no at him. and silence.. No one would tell me what happened. I asked to speak to a director or a councilor but no one would or did. After the 60 days, when I head from him - he was angry, hostile. paranoid like he was still using. blaming his drug use on everyone but himself. Way to go van ness. You turn a drug users psychosis into reality for him. he basically told me they are feed a script to tell their loved ones but it was to save his life. That was one ten minute call and he has since disappeared. no family therapy no repairing lives I believe that they try to break up couples and brainwash them into drinking their Kool Aid - their new addiction