Welcome to Harbor House, where you get to help change the world, one person at a time.

I would like to welcome you to the Harbor House family where we believe in teamwork, mutual respect, integrity, personal accountability, humility, compassionate care and that we all rise by lifting others.

Maybe you have found our website seeking help for yourself or someone you love. Maybe you are looking for a new employment opportunity. Either way, at Harbor House, we are all one family working together to help those in need find their pathway to peace.

Harbor House exists to help people who are unable to help themselves when they enter our doorway. Our clients come to us in active addiction, and they need genuine compassionate care and unconditional acceptance delivered in a non-judgmental, healing atmosphere. It is our responsibility to provide our clients with information and opportunity to practice a new way of living as they take their first steps on the pathway to lifelong recovery one day at a time. Each and every one of us, regardless of our position at Harbor House, plays a critical role in laying the foundation of that pathway to recovery. For our collective mission to succeed, we all have to show up, do our part to the best of our ability and support one another for the good of the clients we serve.

Have you ever heard the story of the Boulder and the Bag of Gold?

There once was a king who decided to do a little experiment. He had a giant boulder put right in the middle of the street. He then hid near the boulder to see who, if anyone, would try to move it out of the way.

First, some wealthy merchants walked by. They walked around the boulder, complaining that the king hasn’t been maintaining the roads very well.

Next, a peasant walked by, heading home with his arms full of food for his family. When he noticed the boulder, he put his groceries down and attempted to move it out of everyone’s way. It took him a while to move it, but he eventually succeeded.

After the peasant gathered up his groceries to carry on home, he noticed a bag lying in the middle of the road, just where the boulder once was. He opened the bag to find that it was stuffed full of gold coins, along with a letter from the king saying that the bag’s gold was a reward for the peasant to keep because he had taken the time and energy to move the boulder out of the road for the convenience of others who would be travelling the road in the future.

The Moral of this story?

Every challenge you face at Harbor House is an opportunity to make a decision. You can choose the easy way around a problem and leave the hard work for someone else, or you can push through the obstacle and enjoy your reward. At Harbor House, when there is work to be done, we don’t look for the easier softer way out. We step up and do the work to help the next person that comes behind us. Only then can we enjoy the gift of serenity that comes from passing on the solution.

I welcome you to become a part of the change you wish to see in the world. Be that beacon of light that protects the next person who comes behind you from the destruction of the cyclic storm of addiction and lead them to safety.

Welcome to Harbor House where hope is offered freely to all.

Ann Rodio Fisher (LMSW, MBA, CPSS) has been the Executive Director of Harbor House Chemical Dependency Services since October 2021. Ms. Fisher came to Harbor House from Region 8 Mental Health Services in Brandon, MS where she was the Alcohol & Drug Services Director from June 2019 to September 2021. Prior to joining Region 8, Ms. Fisher was the Director of Suicide Prevention with the Department of Mental Health (DMH) Bureau of Outreach, Planning & Development. From June 2015 through September 2018, Ms. Fisher was a Program Administrator with the Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Services. During her time at DMH, Ms. Fisher was involved in several grants awarded to the state of Mississippi: 1) sole author and Project Director of the 2016 Second Chance Act Reentry Program for Adults with Co-occurring Disorders, 2) Project Director of the 2017 State Targeted Response to the Opioid Crisis grant, 3) sole author of the 2018 Second Chance Act Reentry Program for Adults with Co-occurring Disorders on behalf of the MS Department of Corrections, and 4) co-author of the 2019 Garrett Lee Smith Youth Suicide Prevention grant.  Originally from North Carolina, Ms. Fisher earned her B.S. in Business Administration from Wake Forest University and her MBA from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She worked for over 15 years in Investment Banking and Financial Analysis before moving to Mississippi in 2012. Ms. Fisher earned her Master of Social Work from The University of Southern Mississippi in May of 2015 at which time she joined DMH. Ms. Fisher also completed the DMH Certified Peer Support Specialist training in July 2015 and EMDR training in December 2020. She has been sober since June 1, 2011 and for that she is truly grateful.