After 22 years of guiding men to and through their roads of recovery, CJCJ’s Supportive Living Program (SLP) is closing its doors today. This is due to changing city priorities, concentration of services, and reduced funding. We are saddened by its passing but take pride in its accomplishments. The program is a true credit to the work of CJCJ and our great staff.
The program was established in 1992 as part of an effort to expand residential treatment options to adult parolees with histories of substance abuse. Associate Director Abu Qadir Al-Amin recognized men coming from state prison deserved a supportive option for their successful reentry into the community. One of the Bay Area’s greatest experts in the field, Abu revolutionized a new modality, the social model recovery, to provide parolees with a supportive living residential treatment program. Rather than rely on locked doors, round-the-clock supervision, and clinical services, the program proved an unmitigated success by entrusting clients with personal responsibility and self-reliance.
For over two decades, SLP partnered with well over 1,000 individuals to support them find relief in their sobriety. The SLP staff were extraordinary and included the following: Noel J. Santiago, Eleanor, Eugene Six, Rashid Islam, Vincent Coffield, Joyce Miller, Bilal Mustafa, Ron Caracter Sr., Frank Williams and the Program Director, Abu Qadir Al-Amin. Special thanks and recognition should also be afforded to those unsung champions who served as contractors and added value to our service delivery through their services, including:
- Ella Hill Hutch Community Center
- Westside Mental Health
- Mission Council on Alcohol Abuse for the Spanish Speaking
- Tom Waddell Health Center/Homeless Programs
- San Francisco General Hospital
- San Francisco AIDS Foundation
CJCJ also appreciates the valuable relationship we built with many Parole Agents, DPH officials and others who worked collaboratively in addressing this social malaise.
SLP staff (lt to rt): Ron Caracter, Abu Qadir Al-Amin, Frank Williams.
Photo by CJCJ, 2008
Abu, SLP’s original visionary, is one of my most esteemed colleagues and his expertise and brilliance developing and providing services through this modality will certainly be missed by the community the program served. Recently, CJCJ’s Board of Directors applauded Abu for his efforts supporting individuals in their recovery. “It’s life’s work he does,” they said, and we all commend you, especially Abu, Frank, and Ron, for the success you have allowed the men in this program to achieve over the years.