DRUG ADDICT TEENS RECOVER AT GROVER BEACH HOME

Program Gives Troubled Teens Second Chance

Teenagers with drug problems are getting a home in Grover Beach.

LifeSteps Foundation, a non-profit, government-funded organization that
provides in-home services for people with physical, emotional,
developmental or substance abuse problems, has bought a house in Grover
Beach. The house will be opening it's doors to troubled teens.

Joan McKenna, Vice President of Drug and Alcohol Programs for LifeSteps,
says that the home will house six male teens with substance abuse problems.
"Six kids is the maximum we feel we can serve at the new site," McKenna
said. "We want it to be a family atmosphere and a therapeutic environment."

The LifeSteps home is located near the old Grover Beach fire station on
Ramona Avenue. The area is zoned R-3 for mixed use including single
families, multiple families, and up to ten apartments. The use permit also
provides for a mix of churches, homeless shelters, child care facilities,
parks, playgrounds, and private non-profit community centers and private
and public parking lots.

McKenna is pleased with the neighborhood. "We went about it like anyone
else would when looking to buy a home," she said. "We are buying, not
renting. We wanted it either in San Luis or the South County. We weren't
interested in north county. We looked at the price, location, schools,
neighborhood mix. When you buy you become invested in that community.
LifeSteps plans to be a good neighbor and to add to our new neighborhood."

The Grover home is part of a new program called Strive, the first licensed
drug and alcohol program for teens in San Luis Obispo County. Strive began
when the State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs allocated $150,000
to San Luis Obispo County for increased drug and alcohol treatment for
adolescents.

"The County Probation Department, Social Services, Mental Health Services
and Drug and Alcohol Services determined that residential services were
what was most needed by this population," says McKenna. "This approach is
consistent with county efforts to reduce costs associated with out of
county placement costs for youth. The County Board of Supervisors
recommended that LifeSteps be awarded the contract because of our long
collaborative history with county health and human services and our
sensitivity to both county and community needs."

LifeSteps Foundation currently operates three residential facilities in San
Luis Obispo County. McKenna expects the residents of the home will be good
neighbors.

"In the nine years that we have been operating these facilities there have
been no complaints from police departments or neighbors," she said. "As
homeowners of the Grover site, we are keenly aware of our role in
maintaining the high standards of the neighborhood. We have begun
improvements on the house, and we will continue to maintain the property at
a level on par with the surrounding properties. We will have a
highly-trained, professional staff there twenty four hours a day."

The residents of the Grover Strive home will arrive there through a variety
of ways. Some will be placed by the probation department, some by Child
Protective Services, and others by their families.

"Our goal is to provide a safe, healthy atmosphere for these teens,"
McKenna said. "We want them to be in school, to be learning the skills they
need to lead a productive life. The Strive program is a safe place to teach
these youths how to overcome their addiction and to become positive and
productive members of their community."