Well thier a residential program but they are also non-profit and off their services free of charge. Hopefully this means they aren't money grubbing thugs.
The overall impression i get is that this is one of those few examples of actually devout Christians who just want to help people. The people in most RTS places just
pretend to be religious/christian to allay the fears of parents.
These people
seem to be sincere. I would assume most graduates end up being members of the God-squad when they come out; however take a look at this from
their FAQ:
Mercy Ministries in an independent organization that is not affiliated with any single church, organization or denomination.
(although they do claim to be christian)
That being said, this concerns me (again from the faq):
Residents work through a counseling process which includes topics such as forgiveness, resolving past hurts, family issues and thought patterns (ungodly and Godly beliefs).
Hmm. I don't feel comfortable with people labeling thoughts as godly/ungodly, however this is not uncommon with the god-squad. I think
organized religion is for idiots personally but people are free to be idiots if they want. This place
seems to be completely voluntary and does not accept court-ordered people.
What remains to be seen (and you might want to ask them this) is whether or not they let people leave with their money and posessions. Where I went this was not the case (and you would be on the streets, with no money, no identification, no clothes, and no posessions, in a really high crime area).
# Can girls take a leave of absence to see family/friends? Approximately every 4 to 6 weeks weekend passes are allowed. During this time, you can see approved family and friends.
# What is the policy on mail? Mail can be sent and received every day.
# What is the policy on phone calls? Phone calls can be made and received on the weekends.
This concerns me a bit as well. If they only have phone calls on weekends it means they don't have regular access to phones. I also am concerned with them "approving" family members, however the "approval" may only refer to friends, which i could understand if the person has drug issues.
If you really want to know you could apply for an application (30+ pages).
Overall, however, this place seems to be like a place where christians go when they go "away from god" and want to get back in his graces. I doubt they are really targeting non-christians with their "ministry".