Model program to benefit San Diego County
SAN DIEGO, CA, November 3, 2004— Phoenix House, one of the largest providers of substance abuse treatment services in Southern California, recently secured a $2 million federal grant over the next four years to help the County of San Diego Probation Department provide critical services to youth returning to the community after incarceration.
Phoenix House was one of only 12 organizations nationwide awarded a grant by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (SAMHSA/CSAT). Phoenix House was selected, in part, for its expertise in adolescent substance abuse treatment and established partnership with San Diego’s Probation Department. For the past four years, Phoenix House has been successfully running a treatment program for teens incarcerated at the department’s Juvenile Ranch Facility in Campo, California.
“We are pleased to build upon our partnership with San Diego’s Probation Department,” says Elizabeth Urquhart, Director of Adolescent Services, Phoenix House San Diego. “With this grant, we’ll be able to extend the department’s services through a new re-entry program that will provide continuing care services to one of the neediest subpopulations of Probation youth.”
This re-entry program will be available to those teens who are returning to the community after receiving substance abuse treatment while incarcerated. It involves 12 weeks of intense follow-up and three months of “step-down” care for the youths and their families—a period that is most critical for juvenile offenders leaving incarceration. The program is designed to meet their substance abuse treatment, mental and physical health, education, vocational, housing and community needs as well as provide the necessary material and social support to succeed.
“These teens often make significant positive changes while living in a very structured environment and undergoing treatment during incarceration, but they often go back to a troubled family environment which has a huge effect on their ability to stay clean,” explains Vincent J. Iaria, County of San Diego Chief Probation Officer. “That’s why the Phoenix House program is so valuable. Trained counselors will be working closely with our probation officers, providing close supervision and treatment to the teens as well as counseling and support services to their families.”
Nationally recognized as innovators in juvenile crime prevention, the San Diego Probation Department’s model focuses on treatment and behavior modification rather than punishment. “Our partnership with Phoenix House strengthens this model as well as our ability to make a positive impact on young offenders’ lives and the community,” adds Iaria.
Phoenix Houses has touched the lives of adolescents, adults, and their families in California for 25 years, helping them overcome the problems associated with substance abuse and empowering them with the skills to lead healthy, productive and rewarding lives. More than 2,500 individuals each day receive treatment through 30 Phoenix House programs throughout Southern and Central California. Known for its effective long-term residential treatment programs, Phoenix House serves San Diego, Orange, and Los Angeles counties with facilities located in Encinitas, Mission Beach, Descanso, Santa Ana, Los Angeles, Santa Fe Springs, Monrovia, and Venice.
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Media Contact:
Linda O’Hanlon
818-386-1916