In The Beginning
“Douglas County Citizens Committee on Alcoholism” was founded in 1974 in response to community concerns for individuals who struggled with alcohol abuse. In the summer of 1974, the agency began offering alcohol abuse treatment services in Lawrence with an initial budget of $25,000 per year. In the early years of operation, the agency’s two paid staff members spent countless hours on a grass roots communication campaign to make the community aware of the resources now available for alcoholics.
Expansion
In September of 1978, alcohol abuse treatment services expanded into six other Kansas counties. With the addition of these “satellite offices”, DCCCA became known as the Northeast Kansas Counseling and Resource Center. As a result, the initial founders recognized the potential for an extensive network of prevention services reaching beyond Douglas County.
Statewide Exposure
January 1981 marked the official launch of DCCCA’s first statewide effort. The Kansas Community Alcohol Safety Action Project, funded by the Kansas Department of Transportation, allowed the agency to assist in the establishment of Alcohol Safety Action Projects in Kansas. ASAP promotes educational activities, reducing impaired driving and creating information and databases about drunk driving. The coordination of prevention and education services for Douglas County began in October when DCCCA merged with the Douglas County Drug Abuse Council. Later that year, several state correctional facilities implemented alcohol and drug treatment programs.
Regional Prevention Center
Increased activity in the Regional Prevention Center, which serves as a resource to prevent substance abuse problems in Northeast Kansas, and the acquisition of youth training programs like the Governor’s Center for Teen Leadership, led the Board of Directors to create a restricted endowment for organizational development in 1988. To reflect expansion of services outside Douglas County, the agency’s legal name was changed from Douglas County Citizen’s Committee on Alcoholism, Inc. to DCCCA, Inc. the following year.
Women’s Recovery Centers
In the 1990’s, several state contracts allowed DCCCA to begin providing specialized treatment services for women and their dependent children. Topeka hosted the first Women’s Recovery Center program, which open in January of 1991. Similar programs in Wichita and Hoisington followed. At that time, Wichita also started a Day Reporting Center, which provided intensive case management services to juvenile offenders and their families. Later that decade, DCCCA implemented the Youth Leadership Development Project under a cooperative agreement with the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The project provided training and technical assistance to 22 Native American tribes and 35 public housing sites within the United States.
Major Mergers
In 1996, mergers with Recovery Services Council, Wichita, and First Step House, Lawrence, significantly increased the capacity of DCCCA’s residential alcohol and drug treatment services. However, perhaps the most significant shift in the types of services DCCCA provided also occurred in 1996 when DCCCA won the Sedgwick County Family Preservation Services contract. Afterward, DCCCA began to concentrate its efforts on programming activities which helped to strengthen and maintain Kansas families.
Elm Acres
Elm Acres, a multi-site provider of alcohol and drug treatment services for youth, partnered with DCCCA in 2004. At this time, other residential services for youth and foster care in Southeast Kansas were also added.
Today
After more than 40 years of service, DCCCA continues to honor its commitment to the community by providing valuable human services that help enrich and improve the quality of life for adults, youth and children.