A Message from the President

I am pleased to report that 2008 was very successful and filled with accomplishments. We directly provided evidence-based residential programs, treatment programs, cognitive therapy, employment services, habilitation services and/or monitoring services to more than 4,000 men, women, young adults and children in Columbus, Chillicothe, Dayton, Lima and Toledo. Our programs and services positively impacted thousands more indirectly.

Alvis House clients completed thousands of hours of community service in 2008, including:

•           Youth participated in the Governor’s “Get Healthy Ohio Walk Project” and served as ushers and hosts at Franklin County Children Services’ Youth Leadership Conference.

•           Clients helped to build a home in Ross County through Scioto Valley Habitat for Humanity.

•           Alvis House and the Chillicothe Region of the Adult Parole Authority hosted a “Back to School Blast.” By the end of the day, they had cooked and served over 600 meals and given away more than 550 book bags to needy children in Ross County.

•           Price Hall clients set up and broke down booths and distributed crime prevention materials to the community for the Columbus Urban League’s National Crime Prevention Day.

•           And many, many other projects.

This year is also off to a good start:

•           The gift from the estate of Mary Renoll enabled Alvis House to add teleconferencing equipment to its facilities in Columbus, Dayton, Chillicothe and Toledo, Ohio. We are now using this equipment for staff training and to expand our program offerings to areas of Ohio that have limited resources. We began a specialized substance abuse program at the Chillicothe Veterans Residential Program in which a substantial amount of treatment services are being provided via videoconferencing.

•           We continue to work to be good neighbors and that work is paying off as we seek to expand programs:

             •           We are proceeding with our plans to expand the OhioLink facility in Toledo. Our application to increase the number of clients and to change the zoning classification for the property we are in the process of purchasing were both approved.

             •           In Dayton, City Council approved our application to increase the capacity at the Cope Center facility. Both the Dayton View Neighborhood Association and the Northwest Priority Board voted to support this expansion.

•           The Anthem Foundation gave us a small grant that will enable us to provide Ohio Benefit Bank services in Allen, Auglaize and Hardin Counties.

•           And we are working on any number of projects that I look forward to reporting on next year.

We are busy here at Alvis House as the number of individuals and families impacted by involvement in the criminal justice system continues to grow. Earlier this year, the Pew Center on the States released its report stating that 1 in 31 American adults is currently under correctional supervision. In Ohio, the study found a higher ratio of 1 in 25 adults who are under correctional supervision. This compares to 1 in 116 in 1982. That is more than a 400% increase in the number of individuals who are under correctional supervision over the past 25 years.

Another issue we face is the difficult economic times we are now in. We face the challenges of increased demand for our services and the increased costs of doing business while at the same time dealing with flat or reduced revenue.

But I want to assure you that neither the agency’s rapid expansion nor the current difficult economic circumstances have dampened our drive for excellence. Alvis House is not, and never has been, content to just “get by.” With lives and futures at stake, how could we possibly do less?

Precisely because there are so many people involved, or affected by a loved one’s involvement in the criminal justice system, the spotlight on everything we do gets brighter and brighter. We have to be professionals, adhering to professional standards.

Alvis House has always been committed to developing and instituting evidence-based correctional practices. We provide programs that include case management, substance abuse counseling and education, cognitive or corrective thinking therapies, employment readiness assistance, academic services, mental health counseling - the list goes on and on. We provide gender, age and culturally specific programming. We conduct assessments to be able to identify the needs of our clients and provide specialized programming that will best help each offender to make better choices and contribute toward their success when they reenter the community.

Price Hall, our program for individuals with co-occurring disorders, underwent a Correctional Programs Assessment Inventory audit, also known as a CPAI, in order to measure if we are doing as well as we think we are. The CPAI report rated the program well and researchers were able to suggest some changes, such as offering individualized social skill training and an in depth behavioral assessment on each resident, that we are implementing.

We provide family support and family-based reentry programs because we know that it is not just the individual who was convicted that is affected by incarceration. More children are affected by the incarceration of a parent now than at any other time in the history of the United States. An estimated 7.5 million children nationwide have a parent currently under correctional supervision. We know that children of offenders are five times more likely to become offenders themselves - we hope, though our family programs, to prevent such a bleak future for the children we serve. Research has already demonstrated that providing family programs reduces recidivism for the offender and improves the quality of life for the family.

Getting by just isn’t enough. It is far more costly and damaging to all those we serve – our peers, law makers, the courts, the public and our clients - to say the credibility that comes with evidence-based strategies just isn’t worth it. Tough times are no excuse for taking it easy.

I am so very, very proud of the work we do together to improve the lives of our clients and their families and to enhance the safety of the communities in which we operate.