Turning over a new leaf at The Greenhouse (Courtesy of Maybank2u Singapore)
Enabled by the Maybank Momentum Grant, The Greenhouse provides a safe place for people to heal and grow. In the second of this four-part series on charities Maybank supports, we look at how this addiction recovery centre reaches out to the marginalised
Wake. Take drugs. Sleep. Repeat.
This was the daily routine of Jonathan Yeo at the height of his substance addiction. “I was literally using drugs every day so that I could function normally,” he recalled.
He had been fighting addiction since 2005, when he was 29, all the while hiding this habit from his loved ones. However, his secret was exposed when his parents, alarmed by his behaviour, called the police during one of his episodic drug-induced breakdowns. Jonathan was arrested.
While he was in prison in 2016, Jonathan befriended Alaric Tan, who was also serving time for drug offences. Jonathan did not know it then, but their friendship would later change his life.
Alaric went on to set up The Greenhouse in 2017 shortly after his release. The substance addiction recovery centre aims to give those with an addiction a second chance by providing comprehensive programmes to meet all their needs.
The two men reconnected in 2019, and Alaric invited Jonathan to The Greenhouse, where he was offered both individual and group therapy.
At last, Jonathan 's life was beginning to look up. He had found a safe space and community where he could heal and grow. With the help of The Greenhouse, he was able to get clean.
“They helped me understand myself and the challenges I was trying to overcome much more deeply," said Jonathan, 46, who has stayed drug-free for close to four years.
WOUNDED HEALERS
To Alaric, anyone can heal from trauma and outgrow addiction with support and empathy. Just like a greenhouse for plants, Alaric and his team aim to create a safe place to care for clients and better meet their needs.
The 44-year-old set up the non-profit centre because of his own personal battle with substance abuse for almost two decades. “When I finally managed to stop using drugs, it felt very important to me to help others like me recover."
At The Greenhouse, activities range from counselling and self-help group meetings to therapeutic horticulture. Yoga and meditation sessions are also available. These activities are part of the organisation's three signature programmes: peer support, counselling and caregivers' support, which provides care for partners and family members of those with addictions.
When they first enter The Greenhouse, beneficiaries are given an initial assessment by the organisation. Once their needs have been identified, a recovery plan is mapped out for clients. Every beneficiary is paired with a trained volunteer peer supporter, an essential scaffold as they rebuild their lives. Individual counselling and group therapy come next.
To date, The Greenhouse has helped 350 clients directly and many more indirectly through outreach and education efforts.
Alaric 's vision is to leverage the “wounded healer system", a pay-it-forward model where clients “bring their own healing to the healing of others". Jonathan is a stellar example of this, having recently taken up the role of peer supporter to help new beneficiaries.
“Peer supporters show what a new life without drugs or alcohol would look like in ways that words alone would find hard to capture," said Alaric.
Champion of second chances
The Greenhouse used to face funding challenges, and Alaric had to drain his savings to keep it going. Donations were hard to secure as people often view drug users as “selfish and irresponsible people who do not wish to stop", said Alaric. Thankfully, things improved when The Greenhouse secured charity status.
With the help of the Maybank Momentum Grant, The Greenhouse has been able to expand its pool of volunteers by engaging a training director and centre manager to manage new volunteers. It has also hired a communications manager to help with publicity and fundraising efforts.
Maybank's support has shown that there are people who believe that those who wish to recover from trauma and addiction deserve competent and compassionate care that will not further stigmatise or re-traumatise them.
Boosted by its newly attained status as an Institution of a Public Character (IPC) on October 18, which allows the centre to issue tax deduction receipts for qualifying donations, Alaric hopes to continue developing The Greenhouse into a safe space that believes in second chances for everyone.
“We are good people who can get better. Keep holding out hope for each other. Life will get better."
