Fan Male: Homelessness Is Not A Problem, It’s a Symptom

Meet a doctor who finds fulfillment in helping the homeless.

by Ralph McGill Jr.

September 26, 2008

D r. Karl  Steinichen is proud to put on his resume that he has been married to the same woman for  thirty-one years and that he served his community for two decades as an ob/gyn in the same group at Kennestone Hospital.
    
Consistency was never much of a problem with the good doctor. 
    
But in the second half of his life he decided to shake things up a bit and try some new and meaningful endeavors.  He retired from his practice, became a master gardener with the Cobb County Extension Service, flew off to Guatemala, Cuba,  and Jamaica on medical missions, and perhaps most importantly, he volunteered to serve as the medical director of The Extension, a residential addiction recovery facility in Marietta. 
    
Started in 1987 as the Marietta-Cobb Winter Shelter, The Extension has grown to become the largest provider of comprehensive addiction recovery services for homeless men in the north metro Atlanta area.
    
"Through years of observation we've come to the conclusion that homelessness  is not the problem - it is merely a symptom.  With few exceptions we have found that addiction to drugs or alcohol is the primary factor," he says.
    
The Extension has achieved an extraordinary level of success in rehabilitating indigent, homeless alcoholics.  For those patients who stay a minimum of sixty days, nearly seventy- five percent are still functional and substance free after two years.  The Extension was founded as an all-male program and Dr.  Steinichen quickly  recognized the need for a woman's facility as well.
    
"As an ob/gyn I have had a unique opportunity to learn the special needs and concerns of  female alcoholics  and addicts and how society makes it extremely difficult for them to survive on the street," Dr.  Steinichen says.   "A woman has a lot fewer options  for survival as a homeless person, and all of those options are dangerous ones.  The need for a shelter and treatment facility dedicated specifically to women is long overdue."
    
Currently there is no program in Cobb County serving the  rehabilitation needs of homeless, addicted women, except a small government funded program that serves a modest subset of those in need, he says.  In addition, there is no program in the county serving the rehabilitation needs of homeless, addicted women without children. In fact, a recent point-in-time count of homeless people in Cobb showed that  thirty-eight percent of those counted were women.
    
Plans call for renovating an 8,000-square-foot former funeral home in Marietta and converting it into a  twenty-bed treatment facility.  "Because of the unique circumstances of women living on the street, we plan to include an examination and treatment room complete with ob/gyn equipment and instruments.  As an ob/gyn, I will be able to offer these women a level of care they possibly have never experienced," he adds.

    
But, according to Dr.  Steinichen, physical health is just the start of the proposed treatment program.  "At The Extension, we subscribe to a three part treatment plan - addressing physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of recovery.   And though we do not insist on any specific religious or sectarian belief,  we strongly recommend developing a trust in a higher power following traditional twelve-step guidelines."
    
Both women and men often become addicted  because they lack the life skills to live on their own,  thus resorting to mind altering substances because they simply cannot cope with  life's challenges and  choose to numb themselves instead, he says.  In time the physical addiction takes over and a vicious downward spiral begins.
     
"We don't just offer addiction recovery; we will be teaching these women life skills such as saving money, paying bills, and working regularly and successfully.  By the time a woman completes treatment, she will have a job and will have saved up enough money to get an apartment of her own," Dr.  Steinichen says.  "Unlike the  usual  thirty-day programs, we won't be sending the women out unprepared and unable to cope."
    
Dr.  Steinichen and the board of directors of The Extension have undertaken a $1.3 million capital campaign to begin the Residential Recovery Program for Women. "Come join us as a contributor, a sponsor, or a volunteer," Dr.  Steinichen says, adding, "Take it from me, the satisfaction is priceless."