Bringing "New Life" to San Francisco

In 1906, a massive earthquake shook San Francisco, leaving behind unimaginable devastation and 3 quarters of its population without a place to call "home". Over time, the city recovered and rebuilt.

Today, drugs, crime and homelessness shake this great city, causing a five year debt due to the medical expenses of the homeless living within the city. At its outset, can this problem be solved before it gets any worse?

We think so. In fact, we know so.

Rick Prescott, a long-time ABLE supporter, heard of a failing half-way house/ homeless shelter which was about to close. First and foremost, this meant that parolees and homeless would be turned out back onto the street without food or support, not giving them much of a choice of how to live — besides to do what they knew how to do — steal and live dishonest lives.

Plainly seen, this would not help solve the problem already gripping this city — instead, it would only drive it further into debt. So, Rich decided to turn that failing program into a Criminon "New Life" center, taking the existing personnel and training them on the technology employed by Criminon, developed by L. Ron Hubbard.

In coordination with Criminon International, Rich located a new facility for the program to operate in as the former one was far from ideal — mainly because it was situated in the heart of a drug-infested neighborhood — not the best environment for former addicts to rehabilitate.

Once found, the new facility was renovated, cleaned up, repainted and turned into a model facility for helping and rehabilitating the parolees and homeless of San Francisco — and all by the former program's staff and students.

After the renovations and refit, the staff and students from the former program moved in. They decided to call the program the San Francisco New Life Center.

Having now adopted Criminon program components, and also operating out of a new home and in a safe environment, the program took off.

6 months after the center's revival, many of the residents became enthusiastic about the program. Graduating from the program, several former residents have also decided to become staff of the center, in turn helping others to rebuild their lives.

Eddie Taylor, a graduate of the program stated in a speech, "This course touched my soul and has encouraged me to be the best person I can be today. I truly believe that if this course had been introduced in the beginning, the revolving door syndrome that happens today [would] be shut down. I believe that if I had the opportunity to participate in The Way to Happiness course the first or second time [of incarceration], I would have had a much better chance of not becoming a six-time repeat offender."

The center has also been granted their license as a drug and alcohol recovery center by the California State Department of Drug and Alcohol. It now operates at an average of 50 students on the program at a time, and the center is still expanding — now having control of over 200 beds throughout 4 hotels in the area.

Word of mouth, of course travels. Bishop Ted Fraiser found out about the program and originated to start his own, getting his son training at the New Life Center so that he can become the Executive Director of the next San Francisco New Life Center.

With the Criminon Program and New Life Centers throughout San Francisco, it is possible to rid the city of it's all-too-many unemployed and homeless and instead turn them into productive and contributing members of society.