The Cenikor Foundation is a

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

drug rehabilitation Drug rehabilitation is the process of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and street drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin or amphetamines. The general inte ...

and

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

organization based in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, operating

residential treatment center A residential treatment center (RTC), sometimes called a rehab, is a live-in health care facility providing therapy for substance use disorders, mental illness, or other behavioral problems. Residential treatment may be considered the "last-ditch ...

s and outpatient services for adults and adolescents in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. They have faced serious allegations of

patient abuse :''This article incorporates "medical abuse", which has a similar meaning but relates more specifically to harmful medical treatment rather than care in general, and may include victims who did not choose to be patients.'' Patient abuse or neglect ...

and use of patients for

unfree labor Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, violence including death, or other forms of ex ...

. Cenikor provides treatment based on the

therapeutic community Therapeutic community is a participative, group-based approach to long-term mental illness, personality disorders and drug addiction. The approach was usually residential, with the clients and therapists living together, but increasingly residential ...

approach.

History

1960s

Cenikor was founded in 1967 by James "Luke" Austin while incarcerated at

Colorado State Penitentiary Colorado State Penitentiary (commonly abbreviated CSP) is a Level V maximum security prison in the U.S. state of Colorado. The facility is part of the state's East Cañon Complex, together with six other state correctional facilities of various ...

. Austin had previously worked at the

new religious movement A new religious movement (NRM), also known as alternative spirituality or a new religion, is a religious or spiritual group that has modern origins and is peripheral to its society's dominant religious culture. NRMs can be novel in origin or th ...

Synanon Synanon is a US-founded social organization created by Charles E. "Chuck" Dederich Sr. in 1958 in Santa Monica, California, United States. It is currently active in Germany. Originally established as a drug rehabilitation program, by the early ...

in California, and initially sought to start a Synanon spinoff group for Colorado prisoners. When his request to start a group under the Synanon name was rejected by prison leaders, Austin renamed the group Center of the Core of the Individual, shortened to "Cenikor," and reframed Synanon's confrontational

attack therapy Attack therapy was one of several pseudo-therapeutic methods described in the book ''Crazy Therapies''. It involves highly confrontational interaction between the patient and a therapist, or between the patient and fellow patients during group the ...

approach as

reality therapy Reality therapy (RT) is an approach to psychotherapy and counseling. Developed by William Glasser in the 1960s, RT differs from conventional psychiatry, psychoanalysis and medical model schools of psychotherapy in that it focuses on what Glasse ...

. After Austin's release, he married Doris "Dottie" Austin, and the two formally incorporated Cenikor on May 27, 1968. The first major facility, housed in a former bakery in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, was financed by a donation from businessman Charles Kettering III.

1970s

The Austins moved Cenikor to

in 1972, where the organization expanded rapidly via private

philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

. The Houston facility was initially located at 1101 Elder in the historic Jefferson Davis Hospital,"Cenikor-One Good Alternative", by Sherman Ross, The Houston Lawyer Magazine, September 1973 and moved to the William Penn Hotel in downtown Houston in the late 1970s.houstonist.com “Ask Houstonist:What’s that disappearing building?”
/ref> After an investigation by the

IRS The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory tax ...

, Houston district attorney, and a state senator found that the Austins had been misappropriating funds, Luke and Dottie Austin were fired in 1977. Board members Ken Barun, Doug Sadbury, and Edward Fresquez took over leadership of the organization. In July 1978, Luke Austin and several other individuals, including his mother Helen Thompson, were arrested for attempting a violent takeover of Cenikor's Houston and Denver facilities. In 1977, Cenikor signed a year-round contract with the Astrodomain Corporation, establishing the Cenikor Astrodome Task Force, in which Cenikor patients perform painting, maintenance, field changeovers, and event set-ups at the

Astrodome The NRG Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, is the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas. It was financed and assisted in development by Roy Hofheinz, mayor of Houston ...

, the Astrohall, and the

Astroarena The NRG Arena (formerly the Astroarena and Reliant Arena), is a 350,000 square feet (33,000 m²) sports center in NRG Park, in Houston, Texas, USA. Building format The main partition on the first floor is the "Arena Proper", a 24,000 gross squar ...

complexes, with as much as three-quarters of Cenikor's monthly budget coming from this contract."Strike taking toll on cities’ finances."
''

Lakeland Ledger ''The Ledger'' is a daily newspaper serving Lakeland, Florida, and the Polk County area. The paper was founded on August 22, 1924, as the ''Lakeland Evening Ledger''. In 1927, it bought its main competitor, the morning ''Lakeland Star-Telegram' ...

'', July 11, 1981."Brief."
''

The Montreal Gazette The ''Montreal Gazette'', formerly titled ''The Gazette'', is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Three other daily English-language newspapers shuttered at various times during the second half of th ...

'', June 19, 1981."Cenikor: The last stop before prison", by Rosalind Jackler, ''

The Houston Post The ''Houston Post'' was a newspaper that had its headquarters in Houston, Texas, United States. In 1995, the newspaper shut down, and its assets were purchased by the ''Houston Chronicle''. History Gail Borden Johnson founded the ''Houston P ...

'', April 29, 1984. After two years of operating an intake facility in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, the Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. donated two 100,000 square feet buildings in

Fort Worth Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

in January 1979 to help Cenikor establish a north Texas treatment facility."In Old Fort Worth: Where Kimbell Hung First Paintings", by Mack Williams, '' Fort Worth News Tribune'', Jan. 19, 1979. Cenikor residents did the work converting the warehouse and two office buildings into a livable facility that could house 180 residents. The first resident entered the facility for treatment on New Year's Eve 1979."Cenikor opens its doors for troubled people", by Carolyn Ondrejas, ''

Fort Worth Star-Telegram The ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'' is an American daily newspaper serving Fort Worth and Tarrant County, the western half of the North Texas area known as the Metroplex. It is owned by The McClatchy Company. History In May 1905, Amon G. Carter acc ...

'', Jan. 3, 1980 Evening Edition.

1980s

In 1983, Cenikor received national recognition from the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

, when he visited the Houston facility on April 29. President Reagan commended Cenikor for its ability to operate without government funding, and for its success in enlisting support from the private sector."President pays visit to Cenikor facility, praises center’s work", by Jim Simmon, ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...

'', April 30, 1983.

Nancy Reagan Nancy Davis Reagan (; born Anne Frances Robbins; July 6, 1921 – March 6, 2016) was an American film actress and First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989. She was the second wife of president Ronald Reagan. Reagan was born in N ...

visited the

Lakewood, Colorado The City of Lakewood is the home rule municipality that is the most populous municipality in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 155,984 at the 2020 U.S. Census making Lakewood the fifth most populous city in Col ...

facility on Tuesday, Aug. 10, 1983 during the national anti-drug campaign."Red Carpet Greets Mrs. Reagan", by Diane Eicher, ''

The Denver Post ''The Denver Post'' is a daily newspaper and website published in Denver, Colorado. As of June 2022, it has an average print circulation of 57,265. In 2016, its website received roughly six million monthly unique visitors generating more than 13 ...

'', Aug. 10,1983.

also visited the Fort Worth facility in 1986 alongside Texas Governor-elect

Bill Clements William Perry Clements Jr. (April 13, 1917 – May 29, 2011) was an American businessman and Republican Party politician who served two non-consecutive terms as the governor of Texas between 1979 and 1991. His terms bookended the sole ...

as she handed out diplomas to 11 graduates."First lady gives diplomas to grads of drug rehabilitation program", ''

'', Feb. 19, 1986.

1990s

In 1994, Cenikor's Houston facility moved from downtown

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

to Deer Park, a suburb in southeast Houston. The new facility, located in the former Deer Park Hospital, is on almost 20 acres of land and 80,000 square feet in size, housing 180 residents."Reaching out: Cenikor creates downtown facility to expand services", by Bernadette Gillece, ''

'', Dec. 14, 1994. In 1995, Cenikor opened an outreach office in

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counties i ...

in a space provided by the city. This location referred over 150 to the Texas facilities each year."'One Day at a Time'", by Chante Dionne Warren, ''

Baton Rouge Advocate ''The Advocate'' is Louisiana's largest daily newspaper. Based in Baton Rouge, it serves the southern portion of the state. Separate editions for New Orleans, '' The Times-Picayune The New Orleans Advocate'', and for Acadiana, ''The Acadian ...

'', Dec. 7, 1996.

2000s

2007 marked 40 years of providing supportive residential therapeutic treatment services. Cenikor has impacted more than 40,000 lives and in 2007 had more than 500 residents in three long-term treatment facilities located in

Deer Park, TX Deer Park is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The city is located in Harris County and is situated in Southeast Texas. At the 2020 U.S. census, the population of Deer ...

;

Fort Worth, TX Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accordin ...

; and

Baton Rouge, LA Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counties in ...

. In 2007, residents began attending college and

vocational training Vocational education is education that prepares people to work as a technician or to take up employment in a skilled craft or trade as a tradesperson or artisan. Vocational Education can also be seen as that type of education given to an ind ...

programs in an effort to improve their quality of life while getting treatment at Cenikor."Cenikor celebrates 40 years of changing lives", by Carla Rabalais, ''

'', Oct. 25, 2007. In 2010, Cenikor formed a strategic alliance with

Odyssey House Odyssey House Texas, located in Houston, Texas is a private not-for-profit organization established in 1989 to provide treatment and education to youth and families whose lives have been devastated by drugs, alcohol, and Child abuse, abuse. At tha ...

Texas to provide

treatment services to adolescents. In February 2011, Cenikor began serving Lake Charles residents in the former state-run Joseph R. Briscoe facility. The 34-bed short-term residential unit maintains a high occupancy rate. The 12-bed medically supported detoxification unit continues to receive referrals from across the state. On July 10, 2012, a ribbon cutting and open house was held for the new short-term residential facility in Waco. More than 200 people attended the event including Texas State Representative Charles "Doc" Anderson, Waco Mayor Malcolm Duncan, Waco District Attorney Abel Reyna, city councilmen, representatives from Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center executive staff and other community members. The facility began accepting clients on Monday, July 16 for short-term residential and Monday, July 23 for detoxification.

2010s

Charlie's Place Recovery Center in Corpus Christi, Texas came under the umbrella of Cenikor Foundation in 2018. Cenikor announced its plan to introduce its long term residential program to the Corpus Christi facility at this time. In 2019 the Cenikor Foundation named Louisiana Governor

John Bel Edwards John Bel Edwards (born September 16, 1966) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 56th governor of Louisiana since 2016. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the Democratic leader of the Louisiana House of ...

its elected official of the year, a yearly honor bestowed by the Foundation on one elected official who has done the most to advance addiction treatment policy. In 2019, an investigation by ''Reveal'' from the

Center for Investigative Reporting The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) is a nonprofit news organization based in Emeryville, California. It was founded in 1977 as the nation’s first nonprofit investigative journalism organization, and has since grown into a multi-platf ...

, (affiliated to

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and

Public Radio Exchange The Public Radio Exchange (PRX) is a non-profit web-based platform for digital distribution, review, and licensing of radio programs. The organization is the largest on-demand catalogue of public radio programs available for broadcast and internet ...

) reported on coercive and dubious practices (including physical and psychological abuse) in conflict with Cenikor stated rehabilitating mission, including patients being assigned to perform physically demanding

unfree labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, violence including death, or other forms of ex ...

for major companies including

Exxon ExxonMobil Corporation (commonly shortened to Exxon) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is the largest direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, and was formed on November 30, ...

Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard ou ...

, and

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

. Reveal reported that "tens of thousands" of patient-workers have worked without pay in Cenikor programs, and that this practice has resulted in nearly two dozen serious on-the-job injuries and a 1995 death. Following the report's release, state officials in Texas and Louisiana launched multiple probes into Cenikor's operations. In addition, the

Compass Group Compass Group plc is a British multinational contract foodservice company headquartered in Chertsey, England. It is the largest contract foodservice company in the world employing over 500,000 people. It serves meals in locations including off ...

and others who had employed Cenikor patients as low wage labor ended their contracts with Cenikor. In 2019, Cenikor Foundation opened a new treatment facility in Amarillo, Texas. It was previously occupied by ARAD, Amarillo Recovery from Alcohol and Drugs.

Locations

Corporate office

* Houston, TX

Long-term adult residential facilities

* Lakewood (Denver), CO - 1967 to 2004 * Fort Worth, TX * Houston (Deer Park), TX Cenikor Deer Park

* Corpus Christi TX (male only) * Amarillo, TX

Detoxification

* Waco, TX * Houston, TX * Tyler, TX * Austin, TX * Corpus Christi TX

Short-term adult residential facilities

*Waco, TX *Tyler, TX Cenikor Baton Rouge

*Corpus Christi, TX

Outpatient services

* Care Counseling Services - Baton Rouge, LA * Care Counseling Services - Temple, TX * Care Counseling Services - Killeen, TX * Care Counseling Services - Waco, TX Wacooutside

*Corpus Christi TX

Adolescent residential

Texas - Houston, TX

References

External links

Official website

Odyssey House Texas

The Freeman Center Waco, TX

Therapeutic Communities of America

Association of Substance Abuse Providers of Texas

Better Business Bureau
{{div col end Therapeutic community Addiction organizations in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Houston Mental health organizations in Texas Unfree labor in the United States