Miracle Hill Renewal Center

ABOUT MIRACLE HILL MINISTRIES - RENEWAL FOR WOMEN

Miracle Hill Ministries was founded 1937 as a soup kitchen and rescue mission. Today, the organization runs four homeless shelters, several children’s homes, and two faith-based recovery centers in South Carolina. Renewal for Women, located in Greenville, S.C., offers long-term, Christian residential treatment for women seeking treatment for substance abuse. It is one of only 10 long-term care programs in the state. Medical detox is not available on-site, and the center’s handbook notes that the facility is not appropriate for women with “serious or chronic medical problems.”

TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT

Renewal for women is one of 55 programs in the state with treatment options specifically for women. The treatment process begins with an initial assessment including drug screening. Clients must also be in good medical condition and not need ongoing medical care to participate.

The center’s six-month program is split into four phases including spiritual foundations, inner healing, planning a healthy lifestyle and relationships, and prevention and planning. Participants use a Christian adaptation of the 12-Step recovery model. The 12-Steps is used in more than 72 percent of South Carolina’s treatment facilities.

Clients participate in both individual and group counseling, Bible study, chapel and church services, educational classes, and seminars. Days are highly structured and last from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Clients also work with mentors to learn skills and improve their understanding of how to use those skills in everyday life. In South Carolina, 46.3 percent of the facilities use mentoring methods in their treatment processes. Clients will also develop an aftercare plan and have job preparation training.

After treatment, clients may enter Miracle Hill’s transitional housing program for six months, during which they attend weekly support meetings and keep in close contact with a mentor from the local church.

STAFF CREDENTIALS

Treatment is administered by on-staff counselors, though it is not clear whether or not staff have any certifications or official credentials. There are no medical professionals on-site, and medical and dental appointments are made on an emergency referral basis only. Volunteers are often involved in services when appropriate, and clergy are included on the staff as well.

ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES

Resident's bedrooms are inspected daily, and mandatory chores must be completed. Neither visitors nor phone calls are permitted during the first 30 days of treatment, and there are strict rules about general conduct, with a system of demerits whereby accumulated offenses may result in disqualification from the program. Smoking and tobacco use are strictly prohibited.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY

Rehabs.com has not yet received feedback from current or former alumni.

On Google, Miracle Hill Renewal Center as a whole earned an average rating of 4.2 out of five stars from five reviews to date.^[1] The single negative review comes from someone who called for more information but who did not attend the program. In the other review with written commentary, an alum described that staff as “great and very carying.”

WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY

The two loved ones polled by Rehabs.com provided polarized feedback about Miracle Hill Renewal Center. T.J.S. noted that they would recommend Renewal, giving the center five out of five stars for its counseling, mental health treatment, and family program. “Tough love program and very strict rules. Dependent upon God and religion to see their errors.” T.J.S. wrote in their review.

However, B.L. was more critical of Renewal, noting that the center expelled clients without sufficient reason. B.L. also provided one out of five star ratings for the program’s counseling options, treatment for co-occurring disorders, and holistic treatment. “If you voice a question as to HOW the facility can help you once you are there, they will ask you to leave. They ask for honesty, but if you ARE honest, they do not want to help you,” B.L. wrote.

FINANCING

All clients must pay a one-time entry fee of $85. Fees are determined on a sliding scale. In certain cases, those with no source of income may complete the program free of charge, making it one of 66 (61.1 percent) of facilities in the state that offer services to clients that can’t pay. Those with some income - including unemployment or disability payments - are expected to pay a fee. No client is turned away on the basis of their inability to pay.

CONCLUSION

Miracle Hill Ministries received a religious exemption from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to continue the faith-based federally funded foster care program that only works with Christians, reported the Washington Post in January 2019. Miracle Hill's policy was scrutinized following the implementation of a government regulation that "prohibits groups receiving federal funding from discriminating on the basis of religion," according to The Greenville News.

^[1] GoogleReviews