Our Agency

OUR VISION Substance abuse and addictions can steal your life, children, family, friends, health, job, and respectability. Addictions damage your life emotionally, spiritually, and financially. Recovery is not an easy process, but there is help. "Community and Family Resources is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of drug, alcohol, tobacco, and gambling addictions." Addiction, like diabetes and heart disease, is preventable and treatable; Addictions are diseases that can ruin families. Community and Family Resources offers education, treatment, support, and encouragement needed to overcome addictions to drugs, alcohol, and gambling. We also offer education and workplace support for employer tobacco policy changes.

OUR MISSION It is the objective of Community and Family Resources to provide our customers, which includes clients, funding sources, and other agencies, with services that promote healthy behavior and lifestyle. "Community and Family Resources is a pro-active organization dedicated to assisting individuals, families, and communities achieve healthy behavior and lifestyle through advocacy, prevention, and treatment of substance abuse and problem gambling." Each year, CFR offers treatment to more than 1,200 individuals: with over 7,100 individual and group outpatient sessions; over 6,800 days of residential treatment; over 1,800 days of transitional living in our halfway house; and over 190 clients receiving more than 850 days of detoxification services. Prevention and education services reached approximately 15, 637 participants through 950 programs given to schools, businesses, and community groups.

Community and Family Resources Brief History

Community and Family Resources, formerly known as North Central Alcoholism Research Foundation, Inc. (NCARF) has been a free standing comprehensive substance abuse provider since 1968, which, until a 2002 merger included Webster, Hamilton, Wright, Humboldt, Pocahontas, and Calhoun Counties. Since the merger, Story and Boone Counties have been added to the original CFR catchment area. Comprehensive Prevention Services began in 1982. We added services for problem gamblers and their families in 1997. The agency has been licensed by the State of Iowa to provide Substance Abuse Services since 1978.

On July 1, 2002, Community and Family Resources merged with Center for Addictions Recovery, Inc. CFARI was incorporated in 1970, serving Story County and was known by several names, including Regional Substance Abuse Center. In 1972, Boone County was added to the catchment area. RSAC/CFARI has been licensed by the State of Iowa since 1980. The Center for Addictions Recovery, Inc. (CFARI), which served Story and Boone Counties, was dissolved as a corporation on June 30, 2002, and merged with Community and Family Resources (CFR) on July 1, 2002. Community and Family Resources continued to do business as (d.b.a.) Center For Addictions Recovery, Inc., in Story and Boone Counties until February 2007, at which time their name was changed to Community and Family Resources. The merged Board of Directors includes elected county officials, as well as individuals with a desire to represent their county and our mission. We maintain a Board of Directors of between 11 and 19 members, representing each of the counties based on population, level of service, and interest to serve.

CFR offers outreach services in each of the eight counties, while Fort Dodge houses the residential treatment facility, transitional living/halfway housing, and the administration of the organization.

Mission Statement

"Community and Family Resources is a pro-active organization dedicated to assisting individuals, families, and communities achieve healthy behavior and lifestyle through advocacy, prevention, and treatment of substance abuse and problem gambling."

Agency Objectives

CFR's objectives (which are not listed in any order of importance) as outlined by the CFR Board of Directors in the strategic plan prepared with the assistance of State Public Policy Group in May, 2007:

1. Ensure services and programs provided by CFR meet the current and emerging needs of individuals and communities in a fiscally responsible manner.
2. Provide stewardship and oversight of funding, programs and services; including outcomes and financial performance.
3. Take proactive steps to achieve financial stability and ensure long term sustainable growth.
4. Assess and address infrastructure issues to align with organizational and program/service needs.
5. Pursue relationships and collaborations that support CFR's work and priorities.
6. Improve and increase the image, profile, impact, and influence of CFR throughout the community.
7. Provide information and education on issues impacting CFR and its clientele.

It is the objective of Community and Family Resources to provide our customers, which includes clients, funders, and other agencies, with services that promote a healthy behavior and lifestyle, through advocacy, treatment, and prevention of substance abuse and problem gambling."