Addicts get a second chance at Reiger Park’s men’s recovery home
The home is appealing to anyone who would like to contribute by donating food, clothes or anything.
Established in February 2017, the Victory Outreach men’s recovery home in Reiger Park has reached out to about 50 young men throughout the country for free.
The Victory Outreach Church East Rand, based in Boksburg North, is the umbrella of the men’s home under the leadership of Pastor Sheldon Williams and Francoise Human.
The home provides a residential Christian environment for the men with a purpose to reclaim, redeem and restore lives that had been destroyed or disrupted by drugs, alcohol and other substance abuse.
The recovery home is a free service which is supported by donations from the church and the public.
The church has many recovery homes and branches around the country with their main church based in the United States of America.
In 2018, the church also opened a women’s recovery home in Reiger Park and it operated until March this year before its closure.
Daniel Melk, director of the home, explained that the reason for the closure was due to the one-year contract that the church signed with the landlord.
“The church was renting the home so when the contract ended, they had to place the women in other women’s recovery homes in Pretoria and Cape Town,” Melk said.
Melk said since their establishment in 2017, they have had about 30 men graduating from their nine-month drug-free rehab programme.
“Our drug-free programme is solely based on Christian recovery, which includes evangelism, prayer, counselling and therapy, street ministry and educating the public about substance abuse and addiction.”
“Before we admit the men into the house, we have a four-week commitment programme. In those four weeks, the men have to attend church on Sundays and go to the clinic to get medical screening reports,” he said.
Melk said they take men from the ages of 18 to 65 years.
“Last year, we had the privilege of taking in an elderly man who is around 60 years, from Bloemfontein, who was also assisted with his addiction,” Melk said.
The director of the men’s home said some of the challenges they are faced with are the issues of space at the home.
“The house that we are renting currently doesn’t have enough rooms. Getting a site that’s ours or a bigger house will help because it will enable us to accommodate more men into the programme.
“We also have problems with transport. If there’s anyone who would be willing to donate to us a vehicle to use when we go to church and when we conduct our drug-awareness campaigns that would really help. We are also appealing to companies in Boksburg to absorb us even if it’s for skills training or jobs,” Melk said.
Currently, the home accommodates 16 young men from areas such as Zonkezizwe, Daveyton, Katlehong, Actonville, Boksburg, Benoni, Kimberley, Cape Town and North West.
One of the men who lives in Impala Park, Dimakatso Motaung (30), shared with the Advertiser his excitement of graduating from the programme in the few coming weeks.
He has been living at the house for about 10 months now. Motaung shared that he got hooked on drugs from the early age of 13.
“I would smoke weed and drink alcohol, but, from the age of 18, I started using heavy drugs like cocaine.
“I continued to smoke drugs even when I was in college. My drug addiction problem affected me because on every job that I had, I wasn’t stable. I was in and out of rehab centres,” Motaung said.
Motaung said when he became tired of the life he was living, he made a choice to change.
“My parents, who have been supportive since day one, were the ones who told me about the recovery home. My life has change for the better because I’ve found my calling during the rehabilitation period,” Motaung said.
His advice to young people is to never idolise wrong and materialist things.
Anyone interested in contributing to the sustainability of the men’s home and its activities may contact Daniel Melk on 074 439 2844.
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