KRIS Livsstilshus – KRIS Lifestylehouse
KRIS Lifestylehouse is a specially designed solution for youths affected by the lifestyle and norms characterizing gangculture. KRIS Lifestylehouse is a part of the non-governmental organization KRIS ”Criminals Return Into Society”. KRIS Lifestylehouse is an innovative approach in an area that has been urgent for many years: to support and help those that voluntary wants to leave their criminal gang lifestyle. KRIS Lifestylehouse stands for tolerance, acceptance and for everybody’s right to a second chance in life.
KRIS Lifestyle house is intended for youths between 18 and 26 years, who have taken a voluntary decision to leave the gangculture. KRIS Lifestylehouse build its work on something we call EXHELP Re-integrationsprogram; we have chosen to call the process of leaving a gang and enter society for Re-integration, to clarify the difficulty and complexity in this process. The degree of Re-integration may vary for those who seek help at the Lifestylehouse, a bio-psycho-social assessment is done with each person that identifies their specific needs. The stay in the Lifestylehouse is ranging from a minimum of 3 months to 1 year. The concept is unique in Scandinavia. Its development has been possible through funding from The Swedish Inheritance Fund.
KRIS Lifestylehouse is located on two places in Sweden; Gothenburg and Uppsala
The first meeting with persons interested in getting help from the Lifestylehouse is always held on another location. The purpose of this meeting is to interview the person about his gang involvement, his current life situation, his reasons for wanting to leave the gang and to see if the person matches the criteria for a stay at the Lifestylehouse. The interview is held by our own assessment/match form “EXHELP Affiliation Interview” (ELP). We consider this first assessment as an important factor in our work because of the security risks when somebody absents from a gang and to be sure that the person is our target group.
KRIS Lifestylehouse basic aims and objectives:
Support and help young adults that to a varying degree have been involved in gang crime, with a voluntary desire to be an asset for themselves, their families and society again.
Offer a way back and support for the re-integration process, for those who have already left the gang culture. We do this by among other things provide an opportunity for employment in Lifestylehouseproject.
Be a fearless and humble part in the debate on issues affecting this complex and extensive area.
Participate in the development of innovative actions and measures for young adults, whose driving forces behind the choices in their lives contain so many more factors than we have imagined.
The basic principles behind our work:
KRIS Lifestylehouse does not have any opinion or take any stand against any persons or organisations. The only thing we are interested in is how we can be of help if someone seeks our support.
The lifestyle and norms characterizing gangculture creates biological, psychological and social consequences, damages and problems. The complex work with help and support needs to focus on these areas.
Re-integration is not an event but a process that takes time and effort. This process often starts with a voluntary desire of another life.
EVERYBODY is motivated; they just need to know what to do. Their involvement in crime and drugs has affected them biological, psychological and social in the extent that it prevents them from living differently. These young people WANT TO be a part of society, but they don’t have all the skills needed and in many cases have given up hope.
In order to build a meaningful, honest and sober lifestyle the person must first LEARN how to abstain from drugs and antisocial/criminal behaviour. This is the reason why we refer to the people staying in the Lifestylehouse as “students”.
EXHELP Re-intergrationprogram:
Stabilisation
When admitted into the Lifestylehouse, the first three weeks consist of a stabilisation period. This means that the person gets the possibility to stabilise, physical, psychological and social, based on his life situation he is carrying with him, before he starts to participate in the program.
EXHELP Lifestyleprofile (ELP)
The purpose of the ELP is to obtain: (1) an overall biological, psychological and social status of the person’s situation, (2) status of how his lifestyle has affected him and (3) get a foundation of how we can together add up the re-integrationplan.
The ELP involves the person to take responsibility for his situation. The goal is to “own” your planning. We have learned through experience that as sooner the person does that, as sooner he begins to take responsibility for his life.
KASE Team/Byggklossmodellen* (Social integration)
To live in a culture that has created a sense of meaning in; crime, drugs, violence and imprisonment provides various social consequences such as; debt, homelessness, unemployment, isolation, broken relationships, etc. We believe in the idea that each person knows best what needs to be part of his plan to build up the life he desires.
In the Lifestylehouse the student’s create their own re-integration plan continuously, using the CASE – Team: mentor, employment coach, social counsellor the student and the building blockmodel.
The building block model allows students to take responsibility for what to include in his re-integration plan. With the guidance of blocks that are labeled with different support, help and social themes, the student selects what he wants to include in his plan, students can also create their own themes.
The Lifestyleprogram (Crime/Drugs)
An important principle behind this program is that you can not ”relapse” into a behavior that still is a basic part of your life. You can not ”relapse” into the only behavior you know off. Before it can be counted as a relapse there must be changes, both in personality and lifestyle. Together with the ”students” we explore the reasons behind their choice to join a gang, the reasons that made them continue their gang lifestyle and the reasons that could lead them back to the gang or crime.
The lifestyleprogram consists of two parts:
Our main program, that involves all students, is based on giving knowledge
problem solving skills, and suggestions for actions about the general life problems and difficulties, a person may encounter when leaving a gang or a criminal lifestyle.
Personalized and individual lifestyleprogram
We make a personalized program based on the students current needs, obstacles, difficulties but also assets. This part of the program is done with an assigned sponsor that works at the Lifestylehouse. If we initially consider that the student may have a drug addiction then the personalized part can be extended through drug related sections. Our assessment is always followed up with an addiction screening test. KRIS Lifestylehouse use screening forms based on the GORSKI-CENAPS model. This screening instrument is based on the criteria that can be found in DSM IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).
Criminals And Gangmembers Anonymous (CGA
CGA is a 12 step inspired support group for people with a desire to break their criminal habits and lifestyle. We offer two CGA meetings a week to those who are open to the guidance to new healthy thoughts and ideas about life, relations and ourselves. CGA is for everyone, regardless of age, ethnicity, gender or criminal affiliation. CGA is made up of men and women who all lived a criminal lifestyle, alcohol and drugs included, and that together help each other to develop a new lifestyle. CGA’s fundamental goal is to be a means to find freedom from destructive habits and simultaneously reach out to other criminals who have a voluntary desire for a lifestyle change
Housing
Housing in the Lifestylehouse is heavily based on ownership, but the requirements
are based on what students can do. The days are scheduled with relapse prevention
programs, KASE-Team, support and one to one counselling and leisure time.
Students prepare food (lunch / dinner) along with our kitchen staff.
The stay includes regular urine tests and breath control if such were needed.
Mentors
An important factor of the Lifestylehouse activities are the staff who acts as mentors. The staff has great cultural competence and experience of gang culture. Apart from their own experience, all the staff are constantly under-going internal training. Staff are available around the clock in the house and all students receive a personal mentor.
Community resources
The Lifestylehouse cooperates with different authorities whose role may be important in the students re-integration.
Community service
The Lifestylehouse contributes with various help and chores such as mowing, painting, etc. around Styrsö.
Social counselor
KRIS Lifestylehouse offer support and guidance through our social counsellor for those students who have a strained relationship with social services, employment services, enforcement officer, school, etc. The social counsellors mission is to help the student with the immense social problems that are important for his continued stay in the Lifestylehouse and long-term re-integration into society.
During the first 3 weeks after enrolment in the Lifestylehouse the social counsellor establishes, with the student, a plan of action for the students most pressing social problems. During the stay the student and the social counsellor continue to work with the social problems that the student had either before and / or after he has left the gang.
External support
There is access to external inputs in the form of a psychologist, this possibility is only offered, if there is a need and always in consultation with the remittent and student.
Work/Internship
In cooperation with the employment service the Lifestylehouse offer various training and paid internship. We see this as an important link in breaking the welfare dependency.
This is possible to ensure when students spent some time in the Lifestylehouse, the time may vary from student to student.
Fellowship
We offer a clean and honest fellowship in CRIS. For those students who are interested have opportunities to get involved in the Young CRIS, which is for young people up to 25 years.
Re-integration
When the student prepare for the re-entry we work together to create a plan for how the continued support should look like. This planning is done together with the contact person, student and remittent.
* Building block model is inspired by the activities engaged Crimestop.dk
