President Obama is visiting the Newark institution to highlight its work with drug- and alcohol-addicted prisoners.
NEWARK -- Every year, Integrity House welcomes about 2,400 guests at the doors of its treatment facilities.
On Monday, it will welcome its most famous guest yet--President Barack Obama.
Unlike most of the people who pass through Integrity House's facilities in Newark, Obama is not looking for help with an addiction. He is visiting the non-profit rehabilitation organization to highlight its work with drug- and alcohol-addicted criminals.
Obama will meet with several Intergrity House clients trying to kick their addictions and change their lives, said Robert J. Budsock, Integrity House's chief executive officer.
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"It is a great honor to welcome the President of the United States through the doors of Integrity House," Budsock said. "Every day, treatment centers all over the country, like Integrity House, work to assist those seeking help to feel confident in their ability to regain control of their lives and provide them with proper support and treatment to enable them to live a healthy and rewarding life."
Obama's afternoon in Newark, which will also include a speech and round-table discussion at Rutgers-Newark, will focus on prison reform and programs that help former criminals re-enter the community.
It is a familiar issue for Integrity House, which helps prisoners with addiction treatment, housing assistance, employment help and other services to help keep them from ending up back in prison.
"We need to shine a light on the fact that treatment is effective. Addiction is a chronic brain disease that should be treated as a healthcare issue, not a criminal justice issue," Budsock said.
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Integrity House traces its roots back to the 1960s when Newark parole officer David Kerr began to look for ways to help his drug-addicted parolees. Kerr began offering one-on-one counseling and group sessions in backyards and garages.
Eventually, the informal meetings grew into a more formal social club. In 1968, the club moved to a Belleville storefront and, eventually, a series of buildings in Newark, where rent was cheap after the 1967 riots.
Kerr and co-founder Richard Grossklaus, his cousin, incorporated the club, calling it Integrity, Inc.
The non-profit organization grew into New Jersey's largest state-funded rehab facility. In addition to a series of buildings near Lincoln Park in Newark, Integrity House has locations in Secaucus and Jersey City.
It offers programs for men and women, adults and teenagers, halfway houses, outpatients programs and treatment for prisoners. It accepts both paying clients looking for rehab and low-income addicts who need free outpatient treatment.
Integrity House clients remain a visible part of their Lincoln Park neighborhood in Newark, where they often hold outdoor sessions in the park off Broad Street.
The organization's mantra remains: "Integrity House provides the opportunity for people to reclaim their lives."
Last year, about half of those in treatment at Integrity House were addicted to heroin and other opiates, according to the organization's annual report. About 19 percent said marijuana was their primary drug, following by alcohol (12 percent) and cocaine and crack (10 percent).
The non-profit took in nearly $17.2 million last year through state funding, grants, donations and payments for its services, according to its annual report.
Former Gov. James E. McGreevey, who now works in Jersey City on prisoner re-entry programs, sits on the Integrity House board.
"It is a privilege and honor to work at and have a place where individuals can reexamine their lives and make a positive turn," McGreevey said in 2011, shortly after he started working with Integrity House.
The organization's leaders say Integrity House can serve as a model for the rest of the nation in treating criminals and ex-prisoners with substance abuse problems. Obama's visit will help put a spotlight on the issue and the links between addiction and crime.
"We simply can't arrest our way out of this crisis," said Budsock, the head of Integrity House. "Research shows over and over again that the only way to have safer communities and to effectively curb drug crime is to provide addicts with the treatment and support they need to quit and to stay clean long-term. We are looking forward to meeting with President Obama to help make necessary criminal justice reform."
Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find NJ.com on Facebook.