Jovenes 24 Horas
Jose Morales, Founder
Jovenes 24 Horas (J24) serves the Latino community and other underserved populations in Corona, Queens affected by the disease of alcoholism and chemical dependency. J24’s mission is to provide residents with a safe haven to recover from the disease, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Operating out of a one-family house, it provides bilingual English/Spanish social services focused on rehabilitation. It offers shelter, food, clothing, crisis intervention, counseling, and referrals to residents until they are ready to be reintegrated with the community. About 95% of the residents are formerly homeless men.
J24’s recovery program has two phases. During the initial three-months, participants must remain in the house and attend group therapy, workshops and lectures based on principles of recovery. Due to the high influence of HIV/AIDS among people with chemical dependency, J24 also provides workshops in HIV/AIDS prevention. While in this period of recovery, participants gain skills to lead full and productive lives. In the second phase, clients are offered transitional housing for as long as needed. They may leave the house to work but are still required to attend meetings. When clients are ready to return to their families or find housing on their own, they are considered to be successfully reintegrated into the community and graduate from the program.