The Cenikor Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing drug rehabilitation and mental health services. Headquartered in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Cenikor operates residential treatment centers and outpatient programs for adults and adolescents in Texas and New Mexico. Initially focused on the therapeutic community model, Cenikor now offers a range of services including detoxification, medically-assisted therapies, short-term residential treatment, and outpatient care.

History

1960s

Cenikor was founded in 1967 by James "Luke" Austin while he was incarcerated at the Colorado State Penitentiary. Austin had previously worked at the

new religious movement A new religious movement (NRM), also known as a new religion, is a religious or Spirituality, spiritual group that has modern origins and is peripheral to its society's dominant religious culture. NRMs can be novel in origin, or they can be part ...

Synanon Synanon, originally known as Tender Loving Care, was a new religious movement founded in 1958 by Charles E. "Chuck" Dederich Sr. in Santa Monica, California, United States. Originally established as a drug rehabilitation program, Synanon develop ...

in California, and initially sought to start a Synanon spinoff group for Colorado prisoners. When his request to start a group under the Synanon name was rejected by prison leaders, Austin renamed the group Center of the Core of the Individual, shortened to "Cenikor," and reframed Synanon's confrontational

attack therapy Attack therapy is one of several pseudo-therapeutic methods described in the book '' Crazy Therapies''. It involves highly confrontational interaction between the patient and a therapist or between the patient and fellow patients during group thera ...

approach as

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. The first Cenikor facility was established in a former Denver, Colorado bakery, supported by a donation from businessman Charles Kettering III.

1970s

In 1972, Cenikor relocated to Houston, Texas, experiencing significant growth fueled by private philanthropy. The Houston facility initially operated at 1101 Elder Street in the Jefferson Davis Hospital before moving to the William Penn Hotel in the late 1970s. A partnership with the Astrodomain Corporation in 1977 created the Cenikor Astrodome Task Force, providing work experience for patients and contributing to a significant portion of the organization's budget. A substantial donation from Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. in 1979 enabled the establishment of a North Texas facility in Fort Worth. After an investigation by the

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, Houston district attorney, and a state senator found that the Austins had been misappropriating funds, Luke and Dottie Austin were fired in 1977. Board members Ken Barun, Doug Sadbury, and Edward Fresquez took over leadership of the organization. In July 1978, Luke Austin and several other individuals, including his mother Helen Thompson, were arrested for attempting a violent takeover of Cenikor's Houston and Denver facilities.

1980s

Cenikor received national recognition in 1983 following a visit from President Ronald Reagan to the Houston facility. President Reagan commended Cenikor's success in operating without government funding and securing private sector support. First Lady Nancy Reagan also visited Cenikor facilities, demonstrating support for the organization's mission during the national anti-drug campaign.

1990s

In 1994, Cenikor's Houston facility moved to a larger location in Deer Park. The organization further expanded its reach in 1995 by opening an outreach office in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, providing referrals to Texas facilities.

Growth and Expansion

Its commitment to reach those most in need drives its consistent growth and expansion. It has opened new facilities in Waco (2012), Tyler (2015), Austin (2016), Corpus Christi (2018), Amarillo (2019), and Farmington, NM (2022), each a testament to its dedication to helping people in underserved areas. The integration of Charlie's Place Recovery Center (Corpus Christi) in 2018 and Amarillo Recovery from Alcohol and Drugs (ARAD) in 2019, as well as twelve more nonprofits in 2022, significantly broadened its ability to offer life-changing services. It is proud of its recognition as one of the largest Houston-area nonprofits in 2023. In 2019, an investigation by ''Reveal'' from the

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, (affiliated to

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and

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) reported on coercive and dubious practices (including physical and psychological abuse) in conflict with Cenikor stated rehabilitating mission, including patients being assigned to perform physically demanding

unfree labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, or violence, including death or other forms o ...

for major companies including

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, and

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. Reveal reported that "tens of thousands" of patient-workers have worked without pay in Cenikor programs, and that this practice has resulted in nearly two dozen serious on-the-job injuries and a 1995 death. Following the report's release, state officials in Texas and Louisiana launched multiple probes into Cenikor's operations. In addition, the

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and others who had employed Cenikor patients as low wage labor ended their contracts with Cenikor.

Leadership

* James "Luke" Austin - Founder, 1967 * Bill Bailey, appointed President and CEO in 2004, and was the first non-graduate to lead Cenikor. Odyssey House Texas

References

{{reflist

External links

Official website
Therapeutic community Addiction organizations in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Houston Mental health organizations based in Texas Forced labor in the United States