NORRISTOWN, Pa. (August 2, 2023) — Gaudenzia Inc., the largest non-profit provider of treatment for people with substance use disorder in the Northeast, was awarded a $200,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. This grant will enable Gaudenzia to expand its prevention and early intervention services at its Centro Primavera program in Philadelphia.
Centro Primavera serves communities in Philadelphia that are grappling with high rates of poverty and unemployment, escalating gun violence, and pervasive open-air drug purchase and use. It is located in the Fairhill neighborhood, a predominantly Hispanic community, with 42.6% of households living below the poverty level—three times the state average. This poverty rate includes 45% of children in the community who are more likely to experience other adversities such as parental incarceration, housing instability, racial or economic discrimination and household substance use.
With the new $200,000 grant, Gaudenzia will help protect youth from exposure to those adversities, specifically through enhancing and expanding existing school-based services as well as provide individual and group prevention and early intervention services to children and adolescents attending Centro Primavera’s free after-school and summer programs. The goal of these evidence-based interventions is to educate youth and prevent substance use, promote their individual development, and strengthen their resilience.
“An adult’s substance use can have a crippling second-hand effect on children—both in the immediate household as well as in the community”,” states Dr. Dale Klatzker, Gaudenzia President and CEO. “Children absorb what they see and experience and that’s why we are grateful for this award from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, which will enable us to reach more children with education, strategies and additional resources that will deter substance use. Together, we will empower youth to make healthy decisions and understand that their future is bright.”
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ABOUT GAUDENZIA, INC.
Gaudenzia, Inc. is one of the largest nonprofit substance use and co-occurring disorders treatment centers in the United States, with 51 facilities operating in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C. The agency serves about 14,000 individuals annually and operates 120 programs providing a full continuum of care. Since 1968, Gaudenzia has provided specialized services and programs to for all demographics, including pregnant and parenting mothers, adolescents, people with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders, and more. Those seeking help can call Gaudenzia’s 24/7 Treatment and Referral HelpLine at 833-976-HELP (4357). For more information, visit www.Gaudenzia.org.
