Let me start by saying I was a resident of the HERO house in Kennesaw, GA from December 2011 until April 2012. My departure from the program was not because I completed the program but because I chose to leave after making the decision to consume alcohol. Though the terms of my departure were not ideal, they have absolutely nothing to do with the reason for this posting. This post does not come from anger or resentment of the house because, frankly, I feel neither towards the place. I am writing this in hopes to warn others who are looking for a solid place to go after having been to an in-patient treatment facility. This is not the place you should attend. There are many programs like it roughly in the same vicinity which off a much better environment for recovery. "Well," you may be thinking, "in what ways does the HERO House fall short in its promises?" Allow me to tell you.

First, when they are selling their program to a customer, there will be many promises made. The first of these will be the assurance that they will provide transportation to any locations that the residents need to go. Now most people will agree that it is impossible to guarantee transportation to all activities or places that a person might need to go. That is totally understandable. However, on many occasions, I have witnessed myself and others miss important doctors appointments due to the inability to attain a ride. This is after weeks of notice that we had to be somewhere, and the HERO House promising that they would have us there, that on the day of the appointment we would be told that there is no ride for us and we should have secured our own ride. Again, all this would be fine if they did not promise to provide transportation. Additionally it should be noted that their idea of them supplying transportation is allowing residents to pay other residents to drive them places. They do have a house van, which is rarely ever used, and I have been told that it is not to be used to drive us to personal appointments (doctors appointments, therapists, grocery stores, etc...)

Second, in their brochure (and when I was sold the program) one is assured that they will help you attain employment near the house. They, as most recovery centers would agree, say having a job and being a productive individual can be highly beneficial in recovery. In the 4 months I was there, the HERO House helped me find approximately zero jobs. They also coached me on how to find and apply for work approximately zero times. I understand that as a young adult the responsibility at the end of the day falls onto me to find work. I applied for over 50 different jobs while a resident there and did not get one of them. I know how to apply for work, or at least I believe I do, but I clearly was doing something wrong. The thing I learned most while a resident of the HERO House was that they do not actually help you do anything (sometimes even when asked). They feign an interest in your activities and ask how you are doing but when a real favor is needed or serious question asked, they seem to suddenly have something extremely important to do anywhere else.

The third complaint I have about the HERO House is the quality of the homes themselves. While a resident there, I was proud to have found upwards of a cockroach a week. The residents I lived with plus myself were fairly clean and definitely did not leave food lying around, or any thing else that would attract bugs for that matter. Yet despite being made aware of the problem numerous times, they did not take any actions to get rid of the insects. While this is mildly unsanitary, it is only one example of issues with the house not being taken seriously. In one of the houses the oven was broken and took over a month and half to even get looked at by a repairman. The water dispenser has also been broken for over a month and is yet to be fixed as of the time of this report, despite those in charge being well aware of the situation. There are more examples but I think you get the idea.

Finally, this last point is not an issue that happened to me personally but to two of my very good friends who I still live with even though we have both since left the HERO house. Unfortunately, the HERO House is so used to making their own rules, and not adhering to what they say they will do, that apparently Federal Laws are optional to them. On multiple occasions, he has seen fit to relay information about residents in the house, about the status of their recovery, and other personal details of them being in the house to people that the aforementioned residents had not given consent for him to speak to. This is a blatant violation of the law and frankly an appalling abuse of the knowledge that he has of the residents. I would go into more details of the events but as these individuals are looking into pursuing legal ramifications against the HERO House I do not believe it is my place to provide specifics to these events.

In summation, the HERO House is truly a sad excuse for a recovery center. I am sure the owner (an incredible confidence man who will play on the fear of parents with children just out of rehab) or an employee of this program will respond to this report saying that I was asked to leave or I was not the best resident they ever had. I preemptively would like to respond as saying that I chose to leave, not go to an intensive out patient program just to come back to a house that clearly does not actually care about its residents. Also I may not have been the most self-motivated individual in the program, but that does not make me unobservant. I know what was wrong with the program and I urge you to heed my warnings. If your child is looking for a place that will only be supportive when there is no support needed, this is the place for you. But if you want your child at a safe-sober living community that will support them in the good times and help bring them up out the rough times, this is not the community you wish to be at. They severely misrepresent the services they offer, they are quite less than helpful when you are in need of transportation or support, the house has not been renovated in years and is infested with bugs, and, most importantly, they do not uphold the privacy granted by the HIPPA law. Honestly, I have lived in many different environments throughout my entire life and this was the most stressful. I had to constantly watch my stuff so it would not get stolen because there were no staff members that helped me secure my belongings. If this report helps only one person to make a better decision than I did and go to a more sound, productive house I will be happy. Do not be fooled by the lies they spread here, the HERO House is not helpful if you are not 100% self motivated and need to rely on anyone else for anything. Just explore other options besides this place.

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6 Updates & Rebuttals

AlBundy

Acworth,
Georgia,
United States of America

HIPAA

#2UPDATE EX-employee responds

Sat, January 26, 2013

The OP is correct that HH is just a giant HIPAA violation, no locked containers, easy access to files, and contacting people out of scope. On the exterminators, I worked there for some time and never saw a pest control company stop by to even give a look to the property. I have to disagree with the poster who thinks that these are "shanty" houses though, they are nice house, in a nice community.

radiobemba1956

Florida,
United States of America

Randy's unprofessional unethical comments

#3Consumer Comment

Wed, October 24, 2012

" This complaint came from a very disturbed young man" is the comment that Randy starts his rebuttal with. It's really sad that a supposedly professional person who is also a business man trying to sell others to his idea would address criticism by labeling a former resident as a " disturbed young man". he shows no class or tact in answering criticism simply because that's how narcissists react when their frail ego is bruised. Randy Haveson needs to seek therapy for his narcissism ( good luck , there is none) in order to get out of the LA LA Land he lives in.

Report Attachments

Ranting about himself to a bunch of people about to be robbed by him

TheTruth5089

Kennesaw,
Georgia,
United States of America

Directly to "RH"

#4Consumer Comment

Fri, May 04, 2012

I would also like to add this directly to "RH". Randy Haveson you are a liar sir, a cheat, and the worst type of person in existence. You take good peoples money, and deliver nothing of what you say. You are a cheap, fake person who waste oxygen for the rest of the good people on earth. Your sir, are a disgrace to human kind and deserve to lose all the money you have extorted from people. Why don't you go ride a sea turtle, you arrogant Napoleon syndrome piece of trash. Good day sir

TheTruth5089

Kennesaw,
Georgia,
United States of America

Randy Haveson=complete idiot

#5Consumer Comment

Thu, May 03, 2012

Let me preface this by saying it has been sometime since I have been at hero house. I get emails for some reason when people add to these reports. I lived at the hero house in kennesaw for a few months and they were truly the worst months of my life. I have posted some things before but it has been some time since my last but having read these new reports it only continues to remind me that people should know never to let their kids anywhere near this terrible concentration camp they call hero house. Who ever the kid is that was talking about how dirty the houses are he is absolutely correct. There are bugs around the house that are noticeable nearly everyday instead of every week. 2 grand a month is what someone pays to live at an extremely nice apartment in buckhead or highland park or nice areas in Atlanta, not to live in an at MAXIMUM 100,000 dollar shanty by kennesaw state. To pay that much to have a horrible experience is a true travesty. That alone is not worth the money that you have to pay. Secondly the way they run their so called "program" is the worst part of the whole scam. What the gentlemen said about having to pay other people to give you rides is absolutely true. Thankfully I had my own car, but out of kindness I never charged kids for rides, but I was giving one almost every single day. They provide ZERO transportation. They expect the kids that live their to take care of that for them. I don't know what Haveson is paying people to post these things about how great and caring of a person he is, because I assure you he is the fakest, most vile, terrible person I have ever been around. Truly the whole program is a bigger ripoff than Scientology. He takes people's money with absolutely no regard for their kids recovery. Tell me this, do you truly believe that he needs 2 grand a month per kid to be able to run that program in shitty houses where they provide no food transport or payment for ANYTHING next to utilities? Of course not people. Come on the guy is making an absolute killing off addicts. Truly sad. You know why? Cause he's a terrible d****ebag. Shabbat shalom. I remember when I got their they told me that I couldn't have sex with girls if I wanted to. Couldn't have girlfriends over to the house etc. what the hell does where I am putting my d**k have anything to do with recovery!? And what the hell is it of any of their buisness where I am putting my p***s? Absolutely nothing. All they care to do is control the people that live there to extort them of more money. That's all they do is order thier kids around like nazis. On the lowest level people take this into account, as an investment, and one of the most important investments you may ever make we're talking about your child's life here, the investment d**n sure isn't worth spending 2 grand a month to live at a cheap, cheap, cheap house that is not kept well or maintained well. It isn't worth the money or the time. And when super d****e randy comments about how kids graduated and made a 3.5 cumulative GPA, let's be clear that had nothing to do where they are living, that has to do with kids working thier tails off to make good grades. It has nothing to do with the house, but yet again it's randy trying to make himself seem like he miraculously has an effect on someone and taking credit for something that he has no reason to take credit for. He's literally the worst person I have ever met in my life, and I have met some real slimy s**t heads, he takes the cake. It really makes me sick. I hope someone gets a good enough reason to sue that b*****d for every single dime he is worth. That would be true poetic justice. Being in recovery is hard, and I implore you not to make it harder by giving any more money to a man who doesn't deserve it. Your kid WILL relaspse from dealing with all the bullshit that they don't need to. Truly being in that house was one of the most terrible experiences of my life. Don't give the man any money and lets put him out of buisness. Everything the gentlemen said in his post is 100% accurate. They don't respect anyone's privacy, legally or illegally. It doesn't matter it's not worth the money, find somewhere else it's not worth the money period. Just say no to hero house. Just say no to the terrible man that randy Haveson is. Anyone who posts about him being a legitimate person is just wrong or being paid to say that. No one in their right mind could possibly think he is a decent human being. Unless they are just an idiot. For god sakes of your kid is in thier take them the hell out, and if your thinking about putting your kid in thier, than don't. It will be the smartest choice of your entire life

deafdumbandblind

United States of America

randy havenson

#6Consumer Comment

Thu, May 03, 2012

Randy Havenson is a dry drunk, a f*kin fire hazard

As always,
S*k A D*k

United States of America

rebuttal

#7REBUTTAL Owner of company

Wed, April 25, 2012

This complaint came from a very disturbed young man. After his first relapse, we decided to give him a second chance. He stated he was grateful for the second chance and stated he wanted to stay in our program. After his second relapse on opiates (not alcohol), we dismissed him from the program.

From the beginning, he stated he wanted transportation, but was told numerous times that we don't provide transportation. What we tell people at first contact is that our fee covers everything except food, phone, school, and transportation. He and his family could never quite grasp that idea.

Second, we live in Georgia. Yes, at times we have found bugs in the house, especially after rain, but we have never had a problem with bugs. We have a very good exterminator team that routinely comes to the houses.

I hope anyone reading this sees that these attempts to harm our program are made by people who have left or were asked to leave our program, or by parents who wanted to blame us for their child not being successful. I have numerous references that verify we are a program of integrity and have been successful with dozens and dozens of families. Again, I am open to conversations or emails from anyone who wants to put any weight on these complaints and wants to hear our point of view.

As a final note, since this person left our community, it has been stronger than it has been in a long time. One of our house managers has been with us for about 2 years and he stated it is the most solid communities he has ever seen. I'm proud of our program and proud of our staff.