This is my home, this wonderful non-profit organization that does amazing work for people like me! They helped me start over and I'm thankful for that
About The Beacon
Founded in 1980, The Beacon of suburban Des Moines, Iowa, is a residential community for women in crisis. They aim to provide a supportive place for those who, through trauma and systemic inequity, face homelessness, substance use, and involvement with the criminal justice system. In 2024, they transformed a former motel into 32 efficiency units called The Beacon Village, a safe place for women to continue their recovery journey.
The SAMHSA Wheel of Wellness
They operate under the evidence based wheel of wellness created by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This model has eight parts. The first is occupational, through which they partner with organizations like Project Iowa and Central Iowa Works for job skills training and placement. They also partner with Dress for Success to supply work clothes.
The intellectual section encompasses things like motivational interviewing and onsite educational classes, in addition to library access.
For the financial portion, they’ve joined with the Evelyn K Davis Center and Freedom Financial Bank to offer women budget coaching and a bank account. They’re also able to provide reduced rent and utilities.
Physical and Spiritual Relief
The physical aspect of the model involves nutrition counseling and fitness classes, and they’ve partnered with the Drake University College of Pharmacy and Health for medication reviews and support. For the spiritual side of things, they focus on activities for mindfulness in both private and shared spaces. They can also facilitate referrals for clients with specific religious or spiritual needs.
Under the environmental umbrella, their 18 hour staff delivers trauma informed care. Daily chores and community activities are practiced. There are weekly house meetings to keep up with the lives of the residents.
Case Management and Cake Management
The last two areas of the SAMHSA model are emotional and social. These are achieved through weekly case management and individual and group counseling. Peer to peer mentoring is provided, as are weekly sober social activities. Once a year they host the Cake Gala, a nonprofit event with food and music to benefit the Beacon and fund its services.
It’s also neat that The Beacon Village is near local attractions like Chamberlain Park. If you get some free time, you can stretch your legs and unwind a bit.
Fact checked and written by:
Nicole Clevenger
Edited by:
Peter Lee, PhD
Facility Overview
34 Number of Available Beds
$26 Avg Cost per Day
Latest Reviews
Nice environment very polite and kind staff, understanding of your growth and needs caring.
Great organization to support! Good people helping good people back on their feet.
When you walk into the Beacon, you immediately sense that it is more than just a shelter - it's a place for second chances and a path toward healing. Amy, the executive director, does a wonderful job of advocating for this space and these women!
Rehab Score
Our Methodology
Scoring is assigned by a proprietary system which helps surface key metrics that determine quality. The 10-point scale factors in categories such as operations, customer satisfaction, and trust metrics. Read Full Methodology
6.8 / 10
Gallery
Other Forms of Payment
Self-pay involves paying for treatment out of your own pocket. You can use savings or credit, get a personal loan, or receive help from family and friends to fund your treatment. If you don't have insurance or your insurance plan doesn't cover a specific program, self-pay can help ensure you still get the care you need.
Medicare is a federal program that provides health insurance for those 65 and older. It also serves people under 65 with chronic and disabling health challenges. To use Medicare for addiction treatment you need to find a program that accepts Medicare and is in network with your plan. Out of pocket costs and preauthorization requirements vary, so always check with your provider.
Medicaid is a state based program that helps lower-income individuals and families pay for healthcare. Medicaid covers addiction treatment so those enrolled can use their coverage to pay for rehab. When a program accepts Medicaid the client often pays very little or nothing out of their own pocket.
Addiction Treatments
Levels of Care
Residential treatment programs are those that offer housing and meals in addition to substance abuse treatment. Rehab facilities that offer residential treatment allow patients to focus solely on recovery, in an environment totally separate from their lives. Some rehab centers specialize in short-term residential treatment (a few days to a week or two), while others solely provide treatment on a long-term basis (several weeks to months). Some offer both, and tailor treatment to the patient's individual requirements.
Rehab aftercare programs support clients' reintegration into their home, workplace, and community following inpatient and residential treatment. They also promote long-term recovery for clients who may no longer be receiving outpatient treatment. Rehab aftercare services encompass a wide range of modalities and often include various medical, mental health, and social service programs. Case managers and care teams develop clients' customized service plans based on the client's evolving needs and recovery goals.
Sober Living Houses (SLHs), aka sober homes or halfway houses, are safe, substance-free, supportive living facilities for those recovering from substance abuse. Ideal for those who've just been through inpatient or outpatient treatment, SLHs are supervised environments with rules that support sobriety, such as curfews, shared chores, and therapeutic meetings. Residents are also often trained on life skills and coping skills to make it easier to transition into society. SLHs also provide a strong sense of community that can lead to the kind of deep and lasting connections with other sober individuals that supports a new, healthy lifestyle.
If you've become physically dependent on drugs or alcohol, quitting suddenly can cause very dangerous side effects. During a medically assisted detox, licensed medical professionals will monitor your vitals around the clock and provide medications if necessary to ensure you're as safe and comfortable as possible throughout this process.
Treatments
The goal of treatment for alcoholism is abstinence. Those with poor social support, poor motivation, or psychiatric disorders tend to relapse within a few years of treatment. For these people, success is measured by longer periods of abstinence, reduced use of alcohol, better health, and improved social functioning. Recovery and Maintenance are usually based on 12 step programs and AA meetings.
Drug rehab in Iowa is available in many formats. A variety of inpatient and outpatient options provide programs that are tailored to individual needs, making recovery possible for everyone.
A combined mental health and substance abuse rehab has the staff and resources available to handle individuals with both mental health and substance abuse issues. It can be challenging to determine where a specific symptom stems from (a mental health issue or an issue related to substance abuse), so mental health and substance abuse professionals are helpful in detangling symptoms and keeping treatment on track.
Opioid rehabs specialize in supporting those recovering from opioid addiction. They treat those suffering from addiction to illegal opioids like heroin, as well as prescription drugs like oxycodone. These centers typically combine both physical as well as mental and emotional support to help stop addiction. Physical support often includes medical detox and subsequent medical support (including medication), and mental support includes in-depth therapy to address the underlying causes of addiction.
Substance abuse treatment is available in Iowa at drug and alcohol rehab facilities. Offering various levels of care, you can typically find an outpatient or inpatient program suited to your needs. Treatment involves evidence-based therapies and forms of counseling to develop healthy coping skills while overcoming addiction. With a focus on individualized treatment plans and recovery support, these programs aim to assist individuals in achieving sustainable sobriety and improved overall well-being.
Programs
Adult rehab programs include therapies tailored to each client's specific needs, goals, and recovery progress. They are tailored to the specific challenges adult clients may face, including family and work pressures and commitments. From inpatient and residential treatment to various levels of outpatient services, there are many options available. Some facilities also help adults work through co-occurring conditions, like anxiety, that can accompany addiction.
Young adulthood can be an exciting, yet difficult, time of transition. Individuals in their late teens to mid-20s face unique stressors related to school, jobs, families, and social circles, which can lead to a rise in substance use. Rehab centers with dedicated young adult programs will include activities and amenities that cater to this age group, with an emphasis on specialized counseling, peer socialization, and ongoing aftercare.
Rehabs for women provide a safe, nurturing space for female clients to heal. These treatment programs consider the specific obstacles that women can face during recovery and place a special emphasis on mental, social, physical, and reproductive health. They explore how each woman's experience has shaped the trajectory of their substance use, addressing issues such as sexual abuse and past trauma.
Clinical Services
Group therapy is any therapeutic work that happens in a group (not one-on-one). There are a number of different group therapy modalities, including support groups, experiential therapy, psycho-education, and more. Group therapy involves treatment as well as processing interaction between group members.
In individual therapy, a patient meets one-on-one with a trained psychologist or counselor. Therapy is a pivotal part of effective substance abuse treatment, as it often covers root causes of addiction, including challenges faced by the patient in their social, family, and work/school life.
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a clinical approach to helping people with substance abuse issues and other conditions shift behavior in positive ways. It is more goal-oriented than traditional psychotherapy, as MI counselors directly attempt to get clients to consider making behavioral change (rather than wait for them to come to conclusions themselves). Its primary purpose is to resolve ambivalence and help clients become able to make healthy choices freely.
Trauma therapy addresses traumatic incidents from a client's past that are likely affecting their present-day experience. Trauma is often one of the primary triggers and potential causes of addiction, and can stem from child sexual abuse, domestic violence, having a parent with a mental illness, losing one or both parents at a young age, teenage or adult sexual assault, or any number of other factors. The purpose of trauma therapy is to allow a patient to process trauma and move through and past it, with the help of trained and compassionate mental health professionals.
Life skills trainings involve all the skills a person must have in order to function successfully in the world. These include time management, career guidance, money management, and effective communication. Truly successful addiction recovery is based on the ability to not only live substance-free, but to thrive. Life skills teaches the practical necessities of functioning in society, which sets clients up for success in life, and therefore sobriety.
Learning healthy eating habits is an important part of drug rehab in Iowa. Nutrition therapy protects you from future substance use by giving your body the energy and strength it needs. It will help you avoid cravings or "off" feelings that can lead to relapse.
Amenities
-
Residential Setting -
Private Setting
Staff
Amy Landrigan, MA
Executive Director
Contact Information
1717 Woodland Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50309
Get Help Now - 515-349-1544
Sponsored Helpline
Sponsored Helpline
