RELEASE: April 27 , 2004

Previous Screen

Davy proposes $5 million in funding to expand family-centered substance abuse program
Seabrook House’s innovative Matri-Ark program to be replicated

SEABROOK— As part of the State’s efforts to reform its child welfare system, New Jersey Department of Human Services (DHS) Commissioner Jim Davy proposed $5 million in funding today to expand an innovative substance abuse program serving mothers and their children.

The funding includes $3 million to expand Seabrook House’s Matri-Ark program an innovative and successful program that allows a child to stay with their mother during treatment. In addition, $2.1 million will be provided to two other community providers to replicate the program in North Jersey.

As part of the announcement observing April as Child Abuse Prevention Month, Davy met with staff and clients involved in Seabrook House’s Matri-Ark program. Funded by DHS’ Division of Addiction Services (DAS), the Matri-Ark program receives referrals through the Division of Youth and Family Services’ (DYFS) Camden office.

“Substance abuse is the most pressing problem facing children and families,” said Commissioner Davy. “However, we have ignored this problem for far too long by failing to fund services.”

Over the next two years, DHS will provide $3 million in capital funding to assist Seabrook House with building a new residential treatment facility. The new facility will allow the agency to expand capacity of its successful Matri-Ark program from 14 to 36 families. DHS and its Division of Addiction Services (DAS) currently provide funding of over $535,000 annually.

The new funding includes $1.6 million this fiscal year (ending June 30th) with a proposed $1 million in fiscal year 2005 and the remainder in fiscal year 2006. An additional $2.1 million will be provided to replicate the program at Sunrise House in Lafayette, Sussex County ($690,000 for 10 slots) and Renaissance in Newark ($1.4 million for 15 slots). The funding is part of the State’s overall plan to expand substance abuse services by $58 million over the next five years.

“This decision by Commissioner Davy advances for all of New Jersey a commitment to restoring families with addiction in an unprecedented way,” said Edward Diehl, president and CEO of Seabrook House. “Matri-Ark has proven that over 65 percent of addicted women who have lost their children can be reunited with them and live drug-free, productive lives.”

According to DYFS, 33 percent of all substantiated abuse/neglect cases each year involve at least one caregiver with a known substance abuse problem. In 54 percent of these cases, the abused/neglected child was younger than five years old. In addition, the number of substantiated abuse/neglect cases with prenatal substance abuse is approximately 11 percent each year. For the past five years (1998-2002), 23 percent of all child abuse/neglect deaths of children under the age of one included evidence of substance abuse during pregnancy.

“The tragedies related to substance abuse have to stop,” said Commissioner Davy. “Today, we take an important step by supporting efforts such as those here at Seabrook House to help our children and families.”

Seabrook House has been helping families find the courage to recover from alcoholism and drug addiction since 1974. The non-profit, Seabrook, New Jersey-based facility assists patients in restoring their lives by embracing a way of life based upon the 12-Step principles of recovery. Seabrook House provides detoxification and inpatient rehabilitation through its adult residential program for both men and women, and its Matri-Ark program, for mothers and their dependent children.

In addition, Seabrook House offers professional family intervention services to those families attempting to help a loved one in need of treatment. The family education and counseling services of Seabrook House have been nationally recognized.

###