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Helping men to overcome the chains of
addiction so they can make a difference
in their families, churches and communities
(Click on image for larger picture)
The Navajo BIC Overcomers has been around since 1997 and in keeping true to our overall mission we are always looking for ways to improve the program with the goal of helping more men and increase their odds of success in life. We have come to realize that 90 days, even though we have been successful, is not long enough so we have set ourselves on the path of expanding the program to a full year.
1. Restoration of men
The NBICO will house up to 20 men per year who are struggling with alcohol and drug addictions. The structure of the program will be set up to deal with not just the physical aspects of their addictions but also the mental, emotional, and spiritual sides as well to aid in healing the whole person. They will be involved in the workings of the ranch thru work crews in an effort of instilling a good work ethic as well as personal responsibility. We will also work with the families to help restore the broken relationships that are the result of an addictive lifestyle. The end goal is to show the men there is a better path and to give them hope of a brighter future.
2. Restoration of the land
At NBICO, when it comes to the land, we will strive to live out the example of good stewardship. Our goal is to become as self-sufficient as possible raising our own produce and livestock as well as the operation of a solar farm to provide the needs of the program. A local farm store will also be operated to offer surplus goods and crafts, made by the men, for sale to the community supplying a residual income for the program.
3. Increase Local involvement
Addiction is not just an individual problem it also affects the community at large. The NBICO will increase its visibility with the purpose of greater community involvement. We will build a network of churches and chapter houses increasing the support for our graduates. A list of businesses, willing to work with us, will be compiled so as to provide possible sponsorship and jobs for our men. The problem with addictions is bigger than any one of us alone and it will take a community to battle it.
Here at the Hope & Redemption Ranch one of the main concepts
we believe in is that the opposite of addiction is not
sobriety but connection.
As a result our focus here is on showing and teaching
the men that come to us how to build and the benefits of
healthy relationships.
For this reason we want to provide housing, when
needed, for our permanent staff so they will always be
available to the men to talk, listen, and build
relationships that will continue long after graduation.
Keeping with the relational concept we also want to promote
and encourage groups who are willing to invest their time
and lives not only in the workings of the ranch, but more
importantly into the lives of the men, getting to know them
and building long term relationships with them.
For this reason we want to and will provide housing
for those groups when they come and join us.
A large majority of the men that come to us are either homeless or don’t know what a healthy home life is like, for this reason we will provide housing for them. They will be responsible for the cleanliness and basic upkeep of their bunkhouses. Each bunkhouse (sleeping quarters only) will house up to five men, a past graduate (who will be the crew leader) and his crew. The bunkhouses will surround a central building that will have bathrooms, showers, laundry, a kitchenette and a great room where the men will have the opportunity to fellowship with each other building relationships.
Wanting to be good stewards of everything God has given us we look to utilize a portion of the ranch in producing solar electricity. We want to build the area large not only to provide all we need but also be able to sell the excess back to the power company. A small crew comprised of the men in the program would be the ones learning and maintaining the system. Our vision is to get it to the point where it produces a positive cash flow for the ranch.
The main complex will
be the central hub of the ranch.
The building will be large enough to house many of
the main aspects of the program.
Main Office—The first point of contact for anyone visiting
the ranch. All
clients will go thru the check-in process and receive
everything they need for their stay.
Visitors will check-in whenever they arrive.
The CFO, Grant writer, and Councilor will have their
offices here as well.
Kitchen/dining hall—Keeping with the
relationship dynamic we stress eating all meals together in
a family style setting.
All meals will be prepared in the kitchen for all
staff and clients and we dine together providing a healthy
environment for a time of fellowship and growth.
Classroom—There
will be a requirement for all clients to be involved with
some class time learning what it takes to walk the path to
recovery. The
classroom will also be utilized in helping any of the
clients seeking to obtain there GED or helping them to
enroll in college courses upon their completion of the
program.
Meeting/visitor area—Evening
group meetings will be an essential part of the program and
we also want to promote family involvement in
the recovery process.
This area will be a casual setting where we all can
come together and discuss whatever issues are at hand in a
respectful manner. We
also want the area to be a place where the clients can visit
with family and friends in the hopes of rebuilding broken
relationships.
As the main complex will be the central hub of the
ranch this area will be the heartbeat of the ranch side of
the program. All the
aspects of the farming side of the program will be centered
here. The clients will be fully involved in all the
machinations of the ranch hopefully learning new skills they
can put to us after graduation from the program.
Auto shop/Maintenance—All
aspects pertaining to the upkeep of the grounds, structures,
and vehicles will be housed here.
Our hope is also to have an auto body shop here as
well.
Barn—All the equipment used in the raising of the
crops, the feed for the livestock, and the gathered crops
will be in this structure.
Greenhouse—We will be utilizing greenhouse
growing to maximize our growing season.
We will also be teaching our clients small scale crop
production in a controlled environment.
Processing facility—We look to have a
structure/structures where we can safely and sanitarily
process all the meat and produce we grow to provide most of
what we will need and sell to community all our surplus in
hopes of providing a positive cash flow from this.
Our program here at NBICO is predicated on a relational dynamic. Our philosophy is that the path to walking a sober life is thru strong healthy relationships. Addiction is a coping mechanism and by dealing with the underlying issues we give each man who walks thru our doors the best opportunity to live a clean and sober life. We look to accomplish this thru 1-on-1 counseling, accountability groups, family counseling, work crews, and leadership training. As we move forward with the Hope & Redemption Ranch we look to increase the opportunities to improve on all aspects of our program and show the men the path to long term sobriety comes from a lifestyle change.
Instill good work ethics and teach the men skills that can
lead to not only potential employment but can also be taken
back and incorporated into their family’s residences to
provide for their needs.
Agriculture—Growing vegetables, herbs, & some fruits in a
greenhouse setting by utilizing an aquaponics system that is
self-contained.
Solar—The set-up & maintenance of a small scale
solar panel system that not only provides necessary power
needs for their family but then could become a possible
instillation business opportunity.
Livestock—The raising and processing of beef,
sheep, swine, chickens, & goats for personal consumption and
to sell.
Food
Handling—Opportunity
for those who enjoy cooking to improve their skills and
increase experience if they desire to enter the food service
career.
Auto
& Facility Maintenance—Can
lead to the possibility of becoming a licensed mechanic or
employment in building maintenance.
Farm
Store Management—We
look to possibly have a local farm store that we then can
offer any excess goods to the community and also teach the
men interested the ins and outs of business management.
Leadership Development—For those who have exhibited
leadership qualities and expressed a desire to mentor others
we give them more responsibilities and the opportunity to
become more involved in the over-all operations of the
ranch.
For
those men who have, during their program, exhibited
leadership qualities and expressed a desire to help we offer
them the opportunity to grow into a leadership position
taking on the responsibility of leading one of the many
crews or facilitating one of the accountability groups.
Requirements:
1)
Successfully completed their program and have created a
sobriety plan.
2) Must remain compliant with all requirements with the
courts.
3) Have exhibited the proper temperament with both the
men and staff.
4) Willing to participate in additional training.
For those committed to pursuing a counseling career we will work with them to enroll in college and acquire the necessary grants. They can continue to work with us on the ranch and upon completion of their schooling and receiving their LADAC license they will be given the opportunity to join our counseling staff with Board approval.
The ultimate goal of this vision is to eventually turn over the operation of the program and facility to Native leadership. At this stage the individual would have exhibited exemplary attitude and leadership traits and would need to be approved by the Board of Directors.
- Application
- To be accepted you need to fill out and submit an application and then go through the interview process. You can get the application from the link below and mail it to the address below. It is in pdf form so you will need a pdf reader program.
- BIC Overcomers Application
