The Joy House located in Jasper, Georgia are hunting negative reviews which show what really is going on at their so-called Christian facility:
Some of reviews harwested by our new search robot in Hungary were:
I was in a center for “troubled teens” in Jasper, Georgia known as The Joy House. They practiced physical punishment, conversion therapy on the lbgt community, and believed mental disorders were demon possessions. They fed stale, moldy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to residents that caused trouble and locked them in the bathroom for hours, sometimes days. After I attempted to run away I was locked in the bathroom for two days in nothing but my underwear. They ignored my complaints of pain which resulted in me landing in the hospital and having to have surgery for a kidney stone that was stuck. I was unable to urinate at this point and had a severe kidney infection. They refused to give any form of pain medication. They also ignored my need for birth control which resulting in me becoming anemic. I would have my period for 14 days and be off it for three before starting over. I went through a box of super tampons every three days. This is just a basic overview.
I was placed in there for good reasons, and I had requested a treatment program. I had severe ptsd after losing my virginity to rape and began to drink heavily and use substances (adderal and cocaine). I missed four months of school due to hospitalization and skipping school. My mother chose The Joy House for me and did not involve me in the decision. Her choice was made purely because it was Christian.
The Joy House has sense banned children with substance abuse issues or severe mental disorders. I use quotations around troubled teens because to be honest, most of us in there just had middle class parents that didn’t want to deal with them. One of my close friends was placed in there because she discovered her father was into some unsavory things (off limits because I do not wish to divulge her issues) and attempted to confront him. My roommate was in there because she got caught smoking weed.
My first job out of college (I have a psychology degree) was at a group home for teenage girls and we had two clients from the same rehabilitation center. They both reported similar situations to mine despite not knowing I had been a resident there. After receiving this information I issued a report to the Department of Family and Children Services. I was told DFCS cannot intervene due to them being a private organization.
What can you do?
I wish verbal abuse was as far as it went with the joy house but unfortunately physical abuse was present as well. Overall this was a completely deflating and saddening experience that will hopefully teach our family how to NOT act. Extremely disappointed in the judgement, abuse and heartache that was cause by this establishment. The path to Christ is not through these doors.
This institution has faced multiple accusations of neglect and child abuse from former patients. Regardless of your religious beliefs, I highly recommend you research the INTEGRITY of the treatment center you send your child to, BEFORE you send them there. They may claim to be faith based, but their alleged actions are in direct opposition to the values preached by Jesus Christ, and the modern day standards of human decency. I would not risk sending my child to an institution with such a shaky reputation, and neither should you. Seeking out a licensed therapist might be a much more positive, safe, and effective first step toward treatment.
When I was 13 I spent 18 months behind fake smiles and closed doors. I was forced into this institution against my will. Due to tramatic abuse that took place during my childhood my family forced my mother to place me in the Joy House. Joy is certainly the last word that comes to mind when I think about this place. Disgust is more accurate.
Here’s a prime example: my mother one weekend showed up with her girlfriend to pull me out of the program. The staff used brute force to keep me away from her. Later the staff worked along side my family to place my mother into a homosexual conversation home in Tennessee for 4 months. 4 months I couldn’t have any kind of communication because she was “sick”. Don’t worry, they were doing God’s work so it was deemed necessary. After this incident I was forced to stay in my room for roughly a week. Only allowed to leave to go to meals or school. Yes, you read the correctly I was punished for my mother being gay.
Along with the mind games, control, forced volunteer work to get the property (thier now current location) ready for more victims I believe this place did more psychology damage doing “God’s work” than my former abusive step father ever did.
My story is one of many.
I am now a 26 year old father of two. I am a contractor who works 60+ hours a week. I pay taxes I vote I see you everyday in traffic.
When I was 16 I was sent to the Joy House by my father and step mother against my will and against my biological mothers will. I had previously attempted suicide and was suffering from depression and undiagnosed Borderline Personality Disorder.
I won’t lie to you I was a troubled child, I had issues that needed to be dealt with.
This place was the worst thing that ever happened to me, the single most traumatic period of my life.
I did not personally experience anything that I would deem as physical abuse… Although I heard of and saw many instances of this.
The worst thing they did was kill my spirit.
I was forced to become a different person to earn my freedom…I did not “graduate” until I half way through my junior year.
Through rote memorization and an endless flood of religious doctrine they make you believe that the traumas of your life are totally and completely your own doing. If you had just been a better kid maybe your life wouldn’t be riddled with abuse and neglect and violence.
These people use your children for their own financial gain. They make them work for donors while taking away food as a punishment.
They force your children to volunteer for churches and organizations in the area that inflate to Steve and Wendy Lowe’s and their extended families reputation, influence, and pocketbook.
To start off I’ll say my mom pulled me out of the program because she told me they were trying to play her and my dad against each other (they are divorced).
I was way worse after the program as far my behavior and outlook on life. But now I’m married with baby #3 on the way so I’m doing better no thanks to this place. I still never graduated high school because they put me so far behind I got discouraged.and quit.
There school is a joke! Okay so on to “home life” there: the staff would sit within ears distance and talk about the residents and laugh, if they thought you had something on you that wasn’t allowed they would strip search you. Without your permission. One “punishment ” was they would strip you to your underwear and lock you in a room for 24-48hrs. The reason for stripping to underwear is so the residents wouldn’t run away. I was in there with one girl that needed help for suicidal thoughts and the house mother filled the sink with water and held the girls head under saying “you want to die here you go.” Another girl I was in there with they made her carry BIG rocks until the point of her almost passing out. In the morning we would exercise. That is fine but if you didn’t finish the excerise they would say you didn’t have time to get shower and stuff before school. There were only certain time you could eat or get a snack if you got a snack outside of the “snack time” you would get in trouble. The list goes on and on.
Parents please before you send you kids here as a last resort PLEASE do your research and speak to people who has been there. People who they do not use as their “testimony ” cause they brainwash you into thinking they are such a good place and people because they are so thought after in the community but no one knows what happens behind closed doors. And of corse there is no evidence of any of this because if you wrote down anything negative they took it away and threw it in the trash.
I have alerted two human rights organizations and asked them to investigate further.
