The Oliver House program allows Casa Serena to welcome recovering women and their children. Mothers will be reunited with their children in a safe and nurturing environment, and women who achieve sobriety while pregnant may welcome healthy babies into a sober, supportive and functional extended family. Oliver House provides these women an opportunity to continue building a foundation of recovery from substance abuse in a residential setting that includes their young children. Here the challenges unique to the single mother emerging from alcohol and drug abuse are addressed. Women at Oliver House are required to work, volunteer or attend school 20-30 hours a week. In addition, they attend 12-step meetings, parenting education, process groups, individual counseling sessions and meet with a child development specialist. This support and training will prepare young mothers to establish independent lives beyond Oliver House.

When a woman comes to Oliver House, she may have immediate custody of her children or she may (as often is the case) be involved with Child Welfare Services and only have visitation privileges. In this supportive, supervised setting, many families have been successfully reunited. The Oliver House staff works closely with CWS and the criminal justice system to help insure the best possible outcome for the children as well as the mothers. Frequently, family reunification is a slow, painstaking process and the outcome depends on the needs of both the client and child. Residency of up to a full year at Oliver House allows for the time needed for optimal functioning of the family.