CCCIA organizes effort to upgrade SWFAS facility
The Cape Coral facility of Southwest Florida Addiction Services is receiving a much needed facelift, thanks to the efforts of the Cape Coral construction community.
The Cape Coral Construction Industry Association has organized a group of industry professionals to assist in the smoothing, painting and landscaping of the building, located at 1105 Cultural Park Blvd., between City Hall and the current police and fire headquarters. The SWFAS facility houses the United Way Resource House and Community Cooperative Ministries (CCMI), in addition to providing substance abuse treatment for adults and youths.
Representatives from all three non-profits and CCCIA will attend the Cape Coral City Council meeting on Aug. 24 to recognize the companies who made the improvements.
The companies contributing to the efforts include Balfour Beatty Construction, Service Painting Florida, Color Wheel Paint, H & E Equipment Services, King Landscaping & Sod, and SignMart.
When CCMI moved into the space to service their growing clientele in the Cape, they approached the CCCIA about improving the building’s appearance, so those in need of assistance would feel good about visiting the office.
A few phone calls later and the building was being spackled, paint was picked out, equipment was delivered, and a sign was posted on the site. The work continues, with landscaping plans being prepared and touch up details completed.
SWFAS is the most comprehensive substance abuse treatment and prevention program in Southwest Florida, serving 6,000 people per year from ages 9 to 90. SWFAS offers outpatient and residential programs for both adults and youngsters from five locations in Lee County and two in Hendry County. In addition, SWFAS provides detoxification services for adults, prevention programming, and an Employee Assistance Program for about 60 Southwest Florida businesses.
SWFAS recently opened a new 44,000 square-foot Detoxification and Outpatient Treatment Center (www.swfas.org) on Evans Avenue in Fort Myers that also offers prevention services and group therapy. The Vince Smith Center (www.swfas.org) on Prince Street in Fort Myers is a residential facility for teens recovering from substance abuse.
The Transitional Living Center in central Fort Myers now provides residential treatment for 42 men and women with drug and/or alcohol problems in either a short-term residential program (one month) or in a four to six-month transitional living program. Permanent supportive housing also is offered for an additional 34 individuals and up to two families in a variety of duplexes on the TLC campus that stretches from Dixie Parkway to Grand Avenue in central Fort Myers. Residents of permanent supportive housing are expected to live a drug-free lifestyle, obtain work, and pay monthly rent that is based on their income.
The facility is supported by 24/7 staff on the TLC campus and medical management is available, as needed.
SWFAS services are not free. Fees are charged on a sliding scale, based on family income. In many cases, private insurance is accepted. SWFAS is a United Way agency.