FACING FACTS

Drug Strategies

Facing Facts

Treatment Programs

A New Beginning at Second Genesis. Research shows that drug treatment in therapeutic communities (TCs) is successful. Second Genesis, a non-profit agency, provides treatment at five facilities, serving approximately 400 clients annually in the Washington metropolitan area. Treatment is available for adolescents and adults, including pregnant and post-partum women. For 25 years, Second Genesis has provided TC and outpatient services in the District. In the early 1990's, the National Institute on Drug Abuse funded a Second Genesis demonstration project at St. Elizabeth's Hospital primarily to serve Ward 8 residents. Second Genesis also provided TC services as part of the District of Columbia Treatment Initiative (DCI). Clients who completed DCI were less likely than a comparison group to be rearrested and more likely to be drug-free at 6-month and 36-month follow-up. Second Genesis currently provides outpatient treatment for clients referred by the U.S. District Court and the U.S. Bureau of Prisons; this program serves about 200 clients per year -- half of those served by Second Genesis throughout the metropolitan area. Representatives of some 40 foundations and businesses are on the Second Genesis Corporate Advisory Board, including Giant Food, Marriott International, General Motors, Bell Atlantic, American Express, Pepsi-Cola, and Saks Fifth Avenue. For more details, email info@secondgenesis.org, or call (301) 563-1545.

A Clean House. In 1977, Oxford House, Inc. opened its first Washington, D.C. house for recovering addicts on North Hampton Street. Initially, neighbors were concerned about the new residents. But Oxford House made them an offer: "If you still don't like us by the end of our lease, we'll move out. "Two years later, the Oxford House residents renewed the lease and in 1987 celebrated their 10th anniversary with 70 neighbors. Oxford Houses offer recovering alcoholics and other drug addicts an unlimited stay in financially self-sufficient, self-run group homes. Six or more recovering addicts rent the houses with the help of congressionally mandated state loans. New residents must be approved by 80 percent of the current ones. All residents pay an average weekly rent of $76.61 and must remain clean and sober. Those who relapse are evicted. Over a 12-year period, 81 percent of Oxford House residents remained clean and sober, according to a study by the Catholic University of America School of Social Work. As of 1998, Washington was home to 20 Oxford Houses, which have helped more than 8,000 recovering addicts. Since the first Oxford House began in 1974 in Silver Spring, Maryland, 683 others have opened their doors across the United States. For further information, call (301) 587-2916.

Helping Mothers Stay Sober. Women who live with their children during residential drug treatment tend to stay in treatment longer, increasing their odds of remaining clean. That's why the Mother and Child Program at House of Ruth provides homeless mothers a place to stay and overcome their drug addiction while focusing on self-sufficiency and child care. The two-year residential program serves pregnant, postpartum and parenting women who have completed detoxification and remained sober for 30 days. Ninety-five percent of participants sustained sobriety for at least six months while in the program, according to a 1997 evaluation. Women attend individual and group sessions on drug abuse, parenting, health issues, relapse prevention, personal empowerment and house responsibilities. Equally important is the required savings plan for post-graduation housing set-up (30 percent of income after paying a $20 monthly fee to House of Ruth) which helps prevent homelessness following treatment. The Mother and Child Program is one of 11 programs that the House of Ruth offers to impoverished women throughout the city. The nonprofit organization serves 200 women and 200 children every day at 11 locations. To learn more about House of Ruth, call (202) 667-7001.

Programs at Work for Troubled Youth. Sasha Bruce Youthwork offers much-needed help for children and families at risk for drug abuse, including Necessary Interventions for Adolescents (NIA), an outpatient drug treatment program for teenage drug abusers. NIA includes counseling, peer support groups, anger management sessions, AIDS prevention education and tutoring. The District's only emergency shelter for homeless children and teens, Youthwork also houses 11 other programs, including a home for teenage mothers, a court diversion program and a learning center. These programs have shown great promise. For example, 95 percent of Sasha Bruce residents return home or to alternative placements, compared to 66 percent of youth from other federally subsidized shelters. And the diversion program has a re-arrest rate of only 18 percent, compared to 65 percent for the city's juvenile justice system overall. Sasha Bruce Youthwork is supported by grants from the federal government, the District of Columbia, the Fannie Mae Foundation, United Way and private donations. To learn more, call (202) 675-9340.

Congregations in Action. Father George Clements, founder of One Church-One Child and One Church-One Inmate, felt religious organizations weren't used sufficiently to help reduce the nation's drug problems. His solution was to develop a program called One Church-One Addict, a national community treatment program that provides support to recovering drug abusers and helps them avoid relapse. Launched in 1994, One Church- One Addict mobilizes churches, synagogues, temples and mosques to become involved in the lives of recovering addicts. Volunteers learn to teach relapse prevention, refer individuals to treatment programs, and serve as role models and extended families to "adopted" addicts. To date, One Church-One Addict has enrolled 300 faith communities and "adopted" approximately 400 addicts nationwide. The program also hosts sobriety celebrations, or "recovery revivals, "to recognize the efforts of addicts, volunteers and substance abuse professionals. This D.C.-based program has become a national movement. One Church-One Addict is supported by grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. For further information, call (202)789-4333.

A Community Fights Back. Ward 7 has more households on public assistance than any other ward in Washington, D.C. In 1978, following a middle-class exodus to Maryland's Prince George's County, Ward 7 residents formed the Marshall Heights Community Development Organization (MHCDO) to stimulate new economic opportunity. Since its inception, the nonprofit organization has created 300 jobs at a new shopping center and spawned a $147 million investment in housing developments and community revitalization projects. With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, in 1992, MHCDO also established Washington's "Fighting Back" initiative to reduce demand for illegal drugs throughout Ward 7. The organization currently focuses on providing drug treatment and aftercare services to addicts through its Substance Abuse Treatment Program. Created in conjunction with Providence Hospital, the 32-week outpatient program provides child-care and aftercare services, including employment counseling, life-skills and job training, internships, job search and follow-up services. The program receives referrals from local health, housing, welfare and social service agencies, as well as the District of Columbia Superior Court. For more information, call MHCDO at (202) 397-7300.

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