1960's
In 1967, a group of inmates in a Colorado state penitentiary, who were committed to breaking the cycle of substance abuse and the criminal behavior that supports their addictions, established Cenikor. With little funding, they were determined to reverse lives caught up in the cycle of addiction and develop a program that would show others how to become productive and responsible citizens.
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1980's
In 1980, Cenikor opened its Corporate headquarters in Houston. In 1982, Cenikor's 100th resident entered the Fort Worth facility's population. In 1983, Cenikor received national recognition from the President of the United States when he visited the Houston facility on April 29. President Reagan commended Cenikor for its ability to operate without government funding, and for its success in enlisting support from the private sector. The Cenikor Prevention Network began educating youth, schools, and churches in 1985 about the dangers of substance abuse. Nancy Reagan visited the Fort Worth facility in 1986 alongside Texas Governer-elect Bill Clements as she handed out diplomas to 11 graduates.
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2000's
In 2000, Cenikor opened an additional outreach office in New Orleans, Louisiana. Cenikor then addressed the need for treatment in Louisiana in 2001 by opening a 151,000 square feet residential facility in Baton Rouge that could house 230 residents. However, in 2005, that New Orleans outreach office was flooded by Hurricane Katrina and shut down permanently. That year in April, Cenikor conducted clinical research to find out how reducing the program from 36 months to 24 months effected its residents. With positive results, the program was reduced to 24 months permanently. Companies that hired residents temporarily in primary treatment were allowed to keep them on a permanent basis when entering into re-entry in 2006. In 2007, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice awarded a contract to Cenikor for a 192 bed in-prison treatment facility. Cenikor began a therapeutic community program at the Dempsie Henley Prison Unit. 2007 marked 40 years of providing supportive residential therapeutic treatment services. In 2007, residents began attending college and vocational training programs in an effort to improve their quality of life while getting treatment at Cenikor.
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1970's
In 1970, Mayor Louie Welch invited Cenikor to open a treatment center in Houston to address an increasing need for a reliable and effective drug treatment program within the city. A Houston facility opened in 1972 in the former Jefferson Davis Hospital building. To avoid dependence upon government funding, Cenikor established various service-to-industry businesses, such as landscaping and auto detailing in 1973. And, by 1975, Cenikor had purchased the former 10-story William Penn Hotel building on Texas Avenue for expansion to a larger facility. In 1977, Cenikor signed the first year-round contract with the Astrodomain Corporation, establishing the Cenikor Astrodome Task Force, to handle painting, maintenance, field changeovers, and event set-ups at the Astrodome, the Astrohall, and the Astroarena complexes. After two years of operating an in-take facility in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, the Winn Dixie Corporation donated two 100,000 square feet buildings in Fort Worth in January 1979 to help Cenikor establish a north Texas treatment facility. Cenikor residents did the work converting the warehouse and two office buildings into a livable facility that could house 180 residents. The first resident entered the facility for treatment on New Year's Eve 1979.
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Nancy Reagan - Fort Worth Facility
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1990's
In 1994, Cenikor's Houston facility moved from downtown Houston to Deer Park, a suburb in southeast Houston. The new facility, located in the former Deer Park Hospital, was on almost 20 acres of land and was 80,000 square feet in size, housing 180 residents. Another big change came in 1995 when Cenikor opened an outreach office in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in a space provided by the city. This location referred over 150 to the Texas facilities each year.
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