“Partnering for Families”

Mission: To provide support services for people in Deschutes County who are in court supervised substance abuse treatment programs with a focus on youth and families.
DFR was incorporated as an Oregon non-profit organization in August 2006 and in October 2006 was granted 501(c)(3) status by the IRS. Since its incorporation, DFR has worked in partnership with the Deschutes County Family Drug Court to provide “wraparound” funding assistance for clients and their families. Services and support provided to families include, but are not limited to, medical/dental care, housing assistance, transportation, utilities, childcare, food, and clothing.

Prior to the implementation of Deschutes County Family Drug Court, local officials and community partners had the foresight to envision the need for a non-profit organization that would provide immediate assistance to drug court clients.

Through their collaboration and a spirit of community, Deschutes Family Recovery is able to remove barriers participants of family drug court face when engaging in treatment, and more importantly, in finding recovery from their addiction.

Drug court participants struggle with securing clean & sober housing, accessing transportation to drug court hearings and related treatment appointments, accessing appropriate clothing for job search and employment, and meeting their own physical and emotional needs so they care provide the safety and welfare of their children.

Research conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) demonstrates that to be effective, treatment must address the individual’s drug abuse as well as associated medical, psychological, social, vocational, and legal problems. The provision of wraparound services increases treatment retention and improves outcomes for individuals, families, and the community. Integrating a continuum of rehabilitative services, including medical and dental care, into substance abuse treatment decreases substance use but also improves patients’ health, social adjustment, criminality, employment, and health care utilization. Individuals engaged in substance abuse treatment who have access to primary medical care show significantly less addiction severity at 12-month follow-up compared with those who with no primary medical care. Residents of sober living homes showed improved outcomes on the Addiction Severity Index and Brief Symptom Inventory scales, 12-step engagement, and had fewer arrests.

More than 67% of participants are homeless at admission and more are living in unsafe homes affected by substance abuse, domestic violence, and criminal activity. Access to stable, clean & sober housing is vital to their recovery and to providing for their children’s safety, well being, and permanency. Less than 8% of participating parents are employed upon admission. On average, sixty percent have no medical insurance upon admission. Of those with medical coverage, 50% have no dental benefits.