Founded upon its Driver Intervention Program in 1990, Community Assessment & Treatment Services, Inc. (CATS) has expanded into residential and outpatient substance abuse treatment for adult men and women. Currently, the organization has 102 residential units and the capacity to serve up to 90 individuals daily in outpatient. In addition, CATS has programs with targeted populations such as “Changing Faces” for women at the Northeast Pre-Release, “Challenge to Change” for adult males in Cuyahoga County who have no other means for treatment, and “SafeNet” for individuals soon to be released from institutions who have histories of violence and/or gang involvement. CATS has shown nothing but growth over the last decade and secured increased funding during these challenging times. To further support its growth, CATS has begun CATS Plus, a social enterprise program to support extended treatment, housing, and employment/training opportunities for returning offenders. Through its Neighborhood Improvement Project, a collaboration with the Cleveland Housing Network, and its Cards From Behind Bars Project,  and with government and foundation support, CATS Plus has moved from a successful pilot to full implementation. The program currently has 17 individuals involved- electing to extend their treatment episodes a minimum of twelve additional months.

Though growth is steady, one particular program has struggled to exist on its own- the Driver Intervention Program. Over the last two years, the program has had multiple location changes in an attempt to continue the high quality and cost-effectiveness that made it successful. None of the locations were able to meet the needs of the program as well as the required budget. “The program has never been a breeze,” states Roxanne Wallace, Founder and Executive Director of CATS. “We were not in it to make money but to make a difference. This requires high quality staff, safe and appropriate locations, and an intense curriculum. It wasn’t a weekend away watching movies.”

The decision to close the Driver Intervention Program wasn’t easy. The purpose of the program and the population it served falls well within the mission of the organization, which is to provide high quality, cost effective, holistic, abstinent based intervention and prevention services to a diverse clientele. The challenge was keeping costs low for attendees, while ensuring the high quality CATS demands of its programs. “We didn’t want to pass the costs on to the consumers, but we didn’t want to compromise our integrity either…it was lose – lose,” sadly notes Dan Cratcha, Co-Founder and Associate Director.

April 17, 2008 – April 20, 2008 will be the last weekend for Community Assessment & Treatment Services, Inc.’s Driver Intervention Program. CATS will assist in referring those in need of such services to high quality alternatives. CATS would like to thank all of the referral sources and attendees for supporting the program over the years.