RECOVERY THOUGH ENTREPRENEURSHIP PANEL

“THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITIES: WORK & ENTREPRENEURSHIP”

ROD MULLEN, CEO

AMITY FOUNDATION

TASC CONFERENCE ON DRUGS, CRIME & REENTRY

MAY 9TH, 2014

ROOTS OF AMERICAN THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITIES (TCS) Synanon was the first “self-help” therapeutic community—formed in 1958.

Synanon was entirely self-supporting, accepting no government funds

At it’s apogee, in the mid-1970s, it had over $33 million in assets, owned facilities in Santa Monica, Badger (near Fresno), San Francisco, and Marshall (north of San Francisco). It’s rural properties were over 5,000 acres. It operated two Greyhound-style coaches which provided transportation between facilities. Over 2,000 men, women and children resided in Synanon---which operated its own schools. A national advertising gift specialty business generated millions of dollars per year which provided the primary support for the organization.

Synanon had a very extensive vocational training program—taking street addicts from no skills or work experience to professional competence in food service, all construction trades, office work, legal, hotel management, maintenance, etc.

Synanon went out of business in the 1980’s—but many former members today run their own successful business, there a number of millionaires.

Synanon, while self-contained, saw itself “taking the underclass to the middle class.”

WORK AS AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF TCS

Synanon provided the inspiration, the clinical and operational templates-- and much of the staff of early TCs---Daytop Village, Phoenix House, Gateway, etc.

However, these “offspring” of Synanon DID take government funding—but always included work as part of the “therapy” of the TC. Residents provided the bulk of the work force for TC facilities—cooking, cleaning, driving, maintenance, etc.

Early TCs had one to two year lengths of stay---giving time for residents to learn both pre-vocational and vocational skills

The skilled workforce (both clinical staff and other workers) for these TCs were mostly ex-addicts who had come through the TC, served an apprenticeship, and then were hired as staff members.

Common to all TCs was the teaching of essential “pre-vocational” skills: reliability, cooperation, ability to take direction, proper attitude, proper dress, communication skills, etc.

DELANCY STREET One of the only TCs to follow the original Synanon model, Delancy Street was founded by

a former Synanon member—John Maher.

Like Synanon, Delancy is entirely self-supporting through it’s own efforts

The majority of Delancy Street’s $15 million dollar annual budget (for facilities in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Santa Fe (New Mexico) is contributed by business run by the organization (restaurants, catering, a moving business, furniture making, etc.) which are managed and staffed exclusively by men and women who have extensive criminal histories and have been addicted to drugs and alcohol.

It works because, like Synanon, residents stay for a minimum of two years, many longer—which gives time for dealing with addiction AND teaching pre-vocational, vocational and entrepreneurship skills.

The question is whether primary treatment needs are shortchanged because residents work is needed for the organizations financial viability.

Mimi Silbert—co-founder & CEO

WESTCARE

Began as a small TC program in Las VegasNow in 17 states, the Virgin Islands and GuamProvides a variety of substance abuse and mental health

services Has built its own in house and on line “university” to help

employees (many of who are former addicts) obtain required certifications in order to work in the field

CENIKOR Began by a former Synanon client from the first TC prison program in Reno,

Nevada in the early 60’s

Now provides a very sophisticated workforce development program

• Assessment

• Employment Planning

• Employment Services & Activities

• Job Readiness Job Search Training opportunities for clients to receive post secondary education and training through partnerships with local community colleges and training providers in order to prepare clients with obtaining skills and credentials required to succeed

PRE-VOCATIONAL SKILLS Prior to entrepreneurship---or even successful employment there are a variety of skills that

must be learned.

A drastic change in our society in the past century is the removal of children from the “world of adult work,” and the increasing amount of time spent in school isolated from working adults prior to beginning work. Child labor laws protected exploitation, but the negative effect is that children, even those in their late teens and early 20’s have literally never seen adults working. As such they arrive at the workplace without some key tools:

• Time concepts, and scheduling, sequencing of work events

• Ability to follow simple oral and written directions

• Productivity—learning how to improve output

• Breaking down tasks into multiple steps

• Relationship to leadership, ability to cooperate with others

• Attitudes regarding work—e.g. “working one’s way up” based on performance

TC PARTICIPANTS TODAY Are dealing with major challenges in their lives

• From impoverished backgrounds = inadequate parental resources, poor schools, dysfunctional neighborhoods, negative attitudes towards work, lack of opportunities for work (high unemployment areas)

• Childhood and adult trauma

• Health issues

• Addiction

• Criminal records that limit employment opportunities

• Little or no family support

TC PARTICIPANTS: ADVANTAGES

Natural “risk takers”Resilient, they are “survivors”Many have “sales” experience in non-legal activitiesAre “hustlers”—often very persuasive and good at presenting

themselvesAre often very enthusiasticBecause they are in a process of change personally, they are

open to learning new skills and trying out new behaviors

ISSUES TODAY

A more impaired population whose drug use began much earlier in their lives

Much shorter lengths of stay---making it more difficult to address pre-vocational, vocational, and entrepreneurship

Funders who do not appreciate a holistic approach to habilitation/rehabilitation and focus more on symptom removal and short interventions

Faculty who see themselves as “clinicians” only—and who either do not have, or do not want to demonstrate and teach pre-vocational and vocational skills

AMITY CENTER FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP Inspired by Drs Harry Wexler & Ellen McGrath—who teach social

entrepreneurship at NY University

First summer 2012, Second summer 2013---involved Amity students & NYU interns

Developed several project ideas

• Garden (production for Amity & for sale)

• Gallery (selling art )

• Publications (developing and publishing articles & books)

• Food sales (selling food at local events)

NYC INTERNS & AMITY STUDENTS

GARDEN GALLERY

FOOD SALES

SPACE DEDICATED TO CSE

ISSUES

Length of stay issue

• Psychologically stable?

• Ability to commit? Follow through.

• Realistic appraisal of skills and ability to completeRelationship to money---best to contribute to the organizationNeed dedicated staff for guidance, supervision & leadershipTie into facility operations for management and “reality”$ needed to commit to make this work (where does it come

from?

CSE TODAY

Consolidation of projects to be all food oriented:

• Garden production for internal and external purposes

• Food sales----will have a food truck this fall; catering will begin 3rd quarter of 2014

• Culinary Arts—training food service personnel from pre-vocational, to vocational, to entrepreneurship skills

Food service director to manage all aspects---including CSEProceeds from sales to be split between reinvestment into

garden, culinary, and CSE and benefits to Amity children.