Definitely! The devastation that substance abuse causes to families and communities is undisputable. In Beaver County, there is a high rate of alcoholism and drug addiction. Accordingly, there is a high rate of criminal activity, including robberty, theft, assaults and homicide. The rates of teen pregancy and sexually trasmitted disease increases as youth experiment with drugs and sex. Additionally, there are many broken families whose children are removed from the home and placed in foster care. This reality imposes financial and emotional burdens on the entire community.
While there are some treatment programs available in the region, there are not enough services to meet the needs of the community. Moreover, the waiting lists and arduous intake process often serve as deterrents to those seeking treatment. There is a need for services where individuals can walk in from the streets, without an appointment, and obtain immediate assistance with accessing treatment. Such a service must be available during non-traditional hours (evenings and weekends) when addicts are most active. Without such services, the community often misses the narrow window of opportunity when individuals might decide to seek treatment. When they are are scheduled for a future appointment, forced to sit on a waiting list, or required to maintain sober before receiving treatment, that window quickly closes. The Substance Abuse Treatment Program created here at Life and Liberty will address those issues and develop methods to eliminate those obstacles to treatment
