Clean & Sober Streets (C&SS) began its services in 1987 working with chronic substance abusers suffering from homelessness, criminality issues and alienation from family and friends. The program designed and developed a residential social model of recovery that had a favorable impact on the men it initially treated. The population at that time was predominately men alcoholics between the ages of 35 – 55 who were living on the streets and abandoned buildings. In 1987 the program began its services in the more than 30,000 square feet of designated space at the Federal City Shelter complex ( 425 2 nd Street, NW ) in space donated by the District of Columbia Government.

As the years progressed the population changed and there was an increasing need to also begin treating women, and then other addictions became prevalent. The program began treating from heroin, to cocaine addiction, then crack cocaine, PCP and marijuana addiction. We began seeing the population get younger and younger. We are now seeing chronically addicted and most times homeless adolescents coming to our programs at the age of 18.

Due to the increasing need to address our client's criminality issues, we developed a relationship with DC Pretrial Services and organized a separate organization, Federal City Recovery Services (FCRS) . This program was incorporated in 1999 and immediately acquired contracts from the Department of Justice to provide a complete continuum of care for men, women and families in Pretrial status, and/or on Parole or Probation.