Arizona Families F.I.R.S.T. (Families in Recovery Succeeding Together) helps parents with substance abuse issues navigate resources to obtain and maintain sobriety. We link families to appropriate resources such as outpatient treatment, detox programs, individual counseling to address trauma and community support to assist with maintaining sobriety.  The goal is to assist the family with tools to provide a safe and stable living environment. Clients are referred to this program by the Department of Child Safety. In most cases, children have been removed from their parents care and placed with other family members or foster families. 

Shevona, a client in Northern Arizona, wrote our Catholic Charities Team a letter about her experience with Arizona Families F.I.R.S.T.:

My name isn’t important. Although, who I am is important! I am a grateful, substance free addict. I was a heroin addict for 28 years and a meth addict for just as long. My husband and I had our newborn baby girl removed from our care by the Department of  Child Safety, which led us down a destructive path that was taking us further away from getting our daughter back. We were hanging on by a thread, but by the grace of God we were given some pretty amazing people to help guide us on our journey to sobriety and getting our princess back. One of those people, was and is Cindy with Arizona Families F.I.R.S.T. She’s been our rock! From helping us out with a tank of gas, some diapers, or even just listening so we can vent; she’s been there! 

We continue to count on her for advice and any other thing she might be able to help us with. Today we have our daughter and have been clean for close to one year and Arizona Families F.I.R.S.T. has been part of the reason my family is back together today. We are forever grateful for the Arizona Families F.I.R.S.T. program and their commitment to walking beside us when others simply walked away from us.