A new perspective on recovery.

Purpose

Our purpose is to restore dignity and respect to persons who have experienced significant losses as a result of an addiction in order to return a productive and responsible person to the community.

Mission

The mission of Phoenix Programs is to reduce the adverse effects of alcoholism and other drug addiction in our families and our community by providing treatment, support and educational services.

History

Phoenix Programs, Inc. is a nonprofit substance abuse treatment center offering a continuum of care for individuals with addiction and co-occurring mental illness. Phoenix Programs began in 1974 as a residential site, Phoenix House, where any man, regardless of his ability to pay, could get help for his alcoholism. Our mission and image has remained stable for over 35 years. 

As it was first named – Phoenix House – became a place where prejudice and coercion were not found.  The founders and original directors, Buck and Betty Buchanon (1971-1992), were both openly involved in the AA movement.  Since that beginning, Phoenix Programs has had only two other executive directors.  Both Nancy Howard (ED 1992-1999) and Deborah Beste (ED 1999-present) were brought into the addictions field because they loved a family member with alcoholism. 

In the early nineties, Phoenix Programs expanded its offerings to include outpatient drug and alcohol counseling to meet growing needs. Over the years, other new programs have been added including social setting detoxification, court assistance programs, drug court services, family counseling, gambling counseling, adolescent groups, and youth groups to offer a full array of treatment options for individuals with addictions.

Phoenix Programs is a founding member of the Columbia-Boone County Basic Needs Coalition, which began in 1996 with the purpose of assisting the citizens of Columbia and Boone County in meeting their basic needs for food, clothing, shelter and transportation. In 2001, with funding from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Phoenix Programs began providing supportive housing programs. With funding support from the Missouri Foundation for Health, Phoenix Programs began providing integrated substance abuse and psychiatric treatment in 2004 and integrated tobacco cessation treatment in 2006. In 2004, Phoenix Programs received a 5-year grant from SAMHSA to implement an evidence-based program, the Modified Therapeutic Community (MTC). In 2007, Phoenix continued to focus on best practices and with additional SAMHSA funding, established a Modified Therapeutic Community with Supportive Housing program (MTC-SHP) and launched an adolescent treatment program based on the Assertive Family Community Treatment (AFCT) model. Phoenix Programs has now expanded residential treatment capacity and detoxification services for men, as well as expanded outpatient treatment options for women and youth.