President Obama Visits Integrity House; Salutes Program as a National Model for Treatment and Recovery

President Barack Obama visited Integrity House on Monday, November 2, and lavished praise on the Newark, New Jersey-based substance abuse rehabilitation center, calling it “A model for the good work that is being done sporadically around the nation.” The President then went on to meet behind closed-doors with an Integrity House counsellor and three current Integrity House clients, as part of his overall criminal justice reform initiative. The President said his trip was designed to highlight successful programs like Integrity House’s. “We look forward to seeing more success,” the President commented.

Emerging from his Presidential motorcade at Integrity House, the President was met by Integrity House CEO Robert Budsock. After the two exchanged private greetings, and the President was escorted into the Integrity House Academy building by Budsock. In the Academy, President Obama posed for photos with Robin Shorter, director of Integrity House’s Women’s Outpatient Programs and director of the Women’s Halfway House, along with the three clients. As part of that initial meeting, the President commented, “Integrity House for 48 years has been doing outstanding work in helping folks with addiction issues.”

In meeting with Integrity House clients Daryl Rose, who has been released from prison and now lives in the facility, and two other residents, Stephanie Luna and Sharon Boatwright, the President said, “We are very excited about all of the good work that is being done in the program here.” The President then met privately with Shorter and the three Integrity House clients, learning about their personal struggles with addiction, the challenges they faced within the criminal justice system, and their individual paths to recovery.

Following the closed-door meeting, the President was interviewed in Integrity House’s Foundation Room by Lester Holt of NBC Nightly News, for a two-part feature that aired that night and on the following Tuesday, bringing further notoriety to Integrity House, its programs and its record of success.

“It was a great honor to welcome the President of the United States through the doors of Integrity House, and to hear about his commitment to treatment and recovery issues,” said Robert J. Budsock, CEO of Integrity House. “Every day, treatment centers all over the country, like Integrity House, work to assist those seeking help to feel confident in their ability to regain control of their lives and provide them with proper support and treatment to enable them to live a healthy and rewarding life. We need to shine a light on the fact that treatment is effective. Addiction is a chronic brain disease that should be treated as a healthcare issue, not a criminal justice issue.”

President Obama’s visit to Integrity House kicked off a day in Newark where the President discussed many of the issues related to criminal justice reform and addiction and recovery issues. Following the Integrity House visit, the President went on to a roundtable discussion and a media briefing at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey’s Center for Law and Justice on their Newark campus. The President again graciously acknowledged the good work that Integrity House continues to do, in a press conference that was covered nationally by all of the large media channels.

In amplifying President Obama’s remarks after the Rutgers media briefing, Integrity House’s CEO Budsock commented, “We simply can’t arrest our way out of this crisis. Research shows over and over again that the only way to have safer communities and to effectively curb drug crime is to provide addicts with the treatment and support they need to quit and to stay clean long-term.”

Integrity House has long realized the importance of a comprehensive approach to prisoner re-entry that takes into consideration all of the important societal pillars that are essential to successful re-integration – housing, employment and substance treatment and recovery. Its efforts have resulted in strong partnerships with local organizations in Newark and Jersey City that provide ex-offenders with addiction treatment and recovery services carefully matched with transitional housing, job training and employment. These programs are serving as a nationwide model to help ex-offenders beat addiction and build solid foundations for their lives so they don’t re-offend and find themselves back in jail.

About Integrity House: Integrity House, a nationally recognized non-profit substance abuse rehabilitation organization with locations in Newark and Secaucus, New Jersey, is the largest treatment facility funded and licensed by the State of New Jersey. Providing addiction treatment and support services for almost 2,400 adult and adolescent addicts each year, Integrity House offers a full continuum of care and implements a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to treatment for clients with substance use disorders from all of New Jersey’s 21 counties, helping individuals and families to make sustainable life-style changes. Since its establishment in 1968, Integrity House has evolved to offer a multitude of state-licensed, CARF accredited programs, including Adult Residential, Adolescent Residential, Halfway House, Partial Care, Intensive Outpatient, Corrections, Aftercare, Supportive Housing and specialized programs for men and women. Integrity House also offers prevention, intervention, and educational services. For more information, visit www.integrityhouse.org or call (973) 623-7246. Connect with Integrity House on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/1qiKUBS or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/IntegrityNJ.