Center Point Evolution

In 1969 two former addicts rented a house and opened their doors to other addicts in need. In an extended family atmosphere, those with jobs supported other who were unemployed.

In 1971, with community assistance the Center Point Corporation was formed, a Board of Directors selected, and tax exempt status was granted by the federal government. The residential program was originally conceived to serve only male heroin addicts, community demand soon resulted in services for women and those with multiple drug problems. Center Point also developed a residential alcohol detoxification program that was quickly designated as the detoxification facility for the County of Marin.

In the 1980’s, changes in the Agency management prompted strategic shifts in philosophy and the service delivery system. Programs now combined psycho-social, behavioral and peer support interventions to develop positive community integration skills. Drop-In Services were developed to provide critical post-detoxification support. Detoxification Services were expanded to serve drug as well as alcohol problems.

Center Point also added an Intensive Outpatient Program as a low-cost alternative to residential treatment for those in early stages of addiction. Funding from the Marin Community Foundation provided support for Center Point’s intensive vocational and re-entry services.

During the 1990’s Center Point aggressively pursued a wider diversity of funding sources to provide specialized services for various populations. Federal grant support from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (SAMHSA) was obtained for several fronts: first to attract and retain ethnic minorities in residential treatment; second, to provide comprehensive substance abuse treatment services to pregnant and parenting women and their children; and, third, to link substance abuse treatment, primary health care, mental health services, and HIV/AIDS services.

Program expansion also created tailored treatment services for the homeless by using foundation and federal grant support. Numerous transitional housing sites were developed to respond to the re-entry needs of homeless clients. Subsidized rent and supportive services were available through several grants awarded to Center Point from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Center Point also became increasingly involved in the criminal justice system through administration of a six-county Bay Area case management program. The Bay Area Services Network (BASN) program provides comprehensive assessment, referral, and case management services to California parolees.

An Adolescent Residential Treatment program originated in 1994. Adolescents from across the state were referred, primarily from juvenile probation.

Center Point also opened an on-site medical clinic in San Rafael with funding assistance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide primary health care, infection disease screening, medical case management and ambulatory detoxification for participants in the Agency’s programs.

Center Point expansion during this time period included the acquisition of additional transitional housing sites with supportive services provided through new contracts with HUD.

In 1998 the Agency took a giant step, expanding outside of Marin County to Contra Costa County to initiate outpatient treatment services through a County grant and to serve as the operator of two County Shelters.

Another landmark date in 1998 marked the activation of Center Point’s first in-custody treatment program which was located behind prison walls at Solano State Prison. Center Point then acquired three more contracts from the California Department of Corrections to provide in-prison treatment at a male facility and a female facility in addition to a contract to provide residential treatment for female inmates and their children in a community corrections setting in Southern California.

Center Point also received a contract from the U.S. Department of Labor to provide enhanced, targeted vocational service to woman with children who were receiving welfare.

Center Point’s community based services were broadened with the addition of a co-educational residential treatment program at Fair Oaks in Sacramento County. The program was modeled after Center Point’s flagship residential program in Marin County.

At the commencement of the new millennium, Center Point again expanded in-prison treatment services and by 2005 nine new programs within institutions in Northern and Southern California had been activated. Center Point was also awarded the Substance Abuse Services Coordinating Agency (SASCA) contract by the Department of Corrections to provide case management and placement in community base treatment programs for offenders being released from prison.

In 2004 Concepts Foundation was established to assist and participate in the charitable programs operated by Center Point, Inc. Concepts Foundation was created to support charitable programs that provide educational, vocational, psychological and social, rehabilitation services to combat social problems, including addictive disorders, poverty, homelessness and unemployment.

In mid decade the agency took another step in fulfilling long term development goals by expanding to another state. Center Point opened a 200 bed men’s Community Correctional treatment program in Oklahoma City under contract with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. The agency also celebrated its 35^th anniversary in the fall of 2005.

During the last half of the decade, Center Point continued to target diverse growth. Services in Oklahoma expanded to include a 34 bed Women’s Community Correctional treatment program and a 50 bed Men’s Work Release program, both in Tulsa.

In 2007 Center Point was awarded several contracts by the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department to provide treatment and re-entry services for men and women in the San Francisco jails. The Agency was also awarded a series of federal SAMHSA grants to provide increased access to treatment for at risk populations. Center Point also received an award from the federal Administration for Children and Families to provide targeted family treatment and reunification services for women with children.

In 2008 the management structure was reorganized to meet the demand of numerous and diverse funding sources. The Agency continued to receive local, state and federal grants that enhanced the agency’s well established vocational services (Marin County Workforce Investment Board); supported adolescent and adult drug courts; and expanded re-entry for ex-offenders (United States Bureau of Justice Assistance).

At the end of the decade, most of Center Point’s in prison programs were closed as a result of severe cuts by the Department of Corrections in response to the State’s extreme fiscal crisis.

With the new decade the Agency was able to meet a priority goal of receiving funding specifically targeted for veterans through the acquisition of a contract within the office of Veterans Affairs to provide services for Bay Area veterans. Additionally, Center Point was awarded a grant to provide outreach and vocational services for Persian Gulf War veterans and their families in the vicinity of Austin, Texas. Within this grant, Center Point had moved to a third state.

Despite the state budgetary crisis, in 2010 the Agency was awarded a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation contract to provide in prison treatment services at a Central California Institution and another contract to develop a parolee Day Reporting Center in Oakland.

Center Point also added a fourth state to the national service areas. The agency entered into a contract with the State of Louisiana to provide comprehensive residential treatment services for women and men at a facility located in Shreveport, LA. This exciting new venture will be officially launched in early 2011. The Agency looks forward to another decade of growth and diversity in providing critical services for at risk populations.