Women’s Holistic Health Program

Since 2001, the Paul & Lisa Program, Inc. has administered the Women’s Holistic Health Education Program (WHHEP) in Waterbury and Hartford, Connecticut. The WHHEP is an alternative sentencing program for women who have been arrested for prostitution in Hartford and Waterbury and is facilitated through the Hartford and Waterbury Community Courts.

The Women’s Holistic Health Education Program encourages women to redirect their lives by addressing the issues of addiction, violence, health risks and exploitation and the effects on the mind, body and spirit. The program facilitates the participant’s ability to begin a recovery journey from addiction, trauma and exploitation, to reflect and discover the physical and emotional barriers to self-sufficient and independent living, and to teach women how to utilize social service resources in the community.

History and Description
In 1994, The Paul & Lisa Program, Inc. joined the Midtown Manhattan Community Court, the first community court in the country, to address the issue of prostitution. In 2001, The Paul & Lisa Program received a contract from the State of Connecticut Judicial Branch to offer the WHHEP for women arrested on prostitution charges through the Waterbury, Connecticut and Hartford, Connecticut Community Court Systems.

It is the belief of the Paul & Lisa staff that the WHHEP will act as a springboard into long-term self-help groups and support systems for the women. The WHHEP focuses on all aspects of participant’s health through discussion of the women’s past experiences and actions, reflection on their past, recognition of destructive behavior patterns, and presents positive alternatives to current behavior habits. The staff also connects participants with local social service providers.

Who participates in the Women’s Holistic Health Education Program?

Age
• 50% between the ages of 30 and 39
• 29% between the ages of 40 and 49.
• 14% 18 to 29 years of age
• % other

Ethnicity
• 35 % Caucasian
• 32% African American
• 29% Hispanic
• % other

Socioeconomic Status
• 8% from upper middle class families
• 37% from middle class families
• 37% from lower middle class families
• 18% came from poor families.

(Statistics gathered by the WHHEP staff, from WHHEP participants, 2001-2006)

Personal Testimonials of Life on the Streets

• “Absolutely disgusted with myself because I didn’t give a s*** about myself—or anyone, or anything or how I took care of my body or health. I was filthy inside and out.”

• “I didn’t like myself at all being out on the streets prostituting and drugging. I had little respect for myself and disappointment also, and as far as the way people treated some treated me like s*** and some treated me kind.”

• “I seemed to be always giving and always wound up hurt or humiliated. No matter what situation I was in I was always a failure.”

• “People rejected me, judged me by what they saw on the outside, hit me, laughed at me, used me.”

(Original quotations from WHHEP participants, 2001-2006)