Phoenix House Secures $2 Million Grant to Help County
of San Diego Probation Department
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
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