Liberation Programs Inc.
EIN: 06-0867006
Mission
Liberation Programs’ mission is to provide prevention, treatment and recovery services to help individuals and their families impacted by substance use and mental health conditions to foster hope and maintain wellness.
Notes from the nonprofit
Nothing hurts us more than to learn someone has lost their life to addiction.
It means that regardless of the circumstances, someone whose life was at one time full of hope and promise—someone who had everything to live for—has lost their battle. A family mourns and friends cry. A precious life is gone.
At Liberation Programs we fight to help each of the more than 2,000 people we serve every year find recovery because we believe recovery is possible for everyone. It is our top priority. Each one is equally important. Recovery for life—a life saved. Recovery for life—a life that is long, fulfilling and happy.
At Liberation Programs, our philosophy of treatment is unique because we understand people try and fail—and keep trying. So do we. They are always welcomed back because we know and understand that it may take more than one attempt for a person to overcome their addiction. What is important is to keep trying until they succeed. We see the strengths and assets each person has and we build upon them – not tear them down. We help each person rediscover their gifts, talents and skills and help them develop these qualities through positive reinforcement. It is part of our credo and the work we do each day in saving lives.
Ruling year
1971
President & Chief Executive Officer
Mr. John Hamilton
Main address
339 West Avenue
Bridgeport, CT 06604 USA
EIN
06-0867006
Community mental health care
Substance abuse prevention
Substance abuse treatment
Mental health counseling
Mental and behavioral disorders
Population served
Adults
People with HIV/AIDS
Substance abusers
Pregnant people
NTEE code
Alcohol, Drug and Substance Abuse, Dependency Prevention and Treatment (F20)
Addictive Disorders N.E.C. (F50)
Counseling Support Groups (F60)
IRS subsection
501(c)(3) Public Charity
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Tax forms
Communication
Affiliations
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download annual reports Download other documentsWhat we aim to solve
Overdose deaths in Connecticut continued to increase in 2019, with an 18% increase in deaths from 2018; in Fairfield County, deaths rose by 18.5%. However, resources for those seeking recovery remain limited, as state funding has decreased several years in a row leading to too few licensed centers offering high-quality integrated behavioral health services in lower Fairfield County. For low-income individuals who have limited access to the resources that are available, there are only 99 providers of substance use treatment for uninsured and Medicaid clients in CT with only 28 providing lifesaving evidence-based Medication Assisted Recovery (MAR). The CDC reports that since the beginning of the pandemic, 13.3% of surveyed adults have “started or increased substance use to cope with stress or emotions related to COVID-19”. This includes Connecticut, which saw a 22% increase in overdose deaths from Jan to May 2020 (531 deaths) compared to the same five month period in 2019 (435 deaths).
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Families In Recovery
A live-in treatment program for pregnant and parenting women with substance use problems and their children. This program ensures prenatal care for moms-to-be, helps mothers re-build self-esteem and teaches parenting skills.
Youth and Family Resources
A treatment program for adolescents and their families who are experiencing problems due to alcohol and/or drug use. This program promotes early prevention education and conducts workshops, presentations and parents' forums to deter youth from engaging in at-risk behaviors.
Liberation House
Over the course of 4-6 months, counselors help men devise a treatment plan to address their addiction, physical and spiritual needs. This residential program encourages men to set personal goals, build vocational skills and participate in community volunteer activities.
Permanent Supportive Housing
Liberation Programs provide 24 units of permanent supportive housing for families . Gini’s House in Norwalk offers 18 units with support services in place for families at risk of homelessness and in need of help maintaining their mental health and/or recovery.
Outpatient Care
Outpatient care enables people to maintain their day-to-day lives while receiving treatment for substance use problems. Our care program incorporates psychological evaluations and vocational skills development as part of each individual's treatment plan.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of program sites
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Average number of service recipients per month
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of Facebook followers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of substance abuse facilities offering HIV counseling and education
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Context - describing the issue we work on
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Liberation adopted a new Strategic Plan in September 2020 that will help guide the agency through the end of Fiscal Year 2024. The Strategic Plan calls for the organization to “broaden community awareness and support; explore partnerships and joint ventures; be looking for ways to incorporate telehealth and harm reduction philosophies and practices throughout Liberation Programs’ system of care; and find new ways to educate legislators and increase visibility out in the community.”
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Grouped into four main sections, Governance, Community Outreach & Awareness, Access & Expansion, and Financial Sustainability, the Plan positions Liberation to remain a cutting-edge de facto leader in substance use treatment and prevention in Fairfield County. This will be completed through broadening community awareness, private funding, and advocacy for the vital services Liberation Programs provides, providing more individuals and families with evidence-based prevention and treatment services in order to save more lives, and securing resources to fully support the Liberation Programs’ annual operating and capital needs
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
On a month-to-month basis, Liberation evaluates each program by compiling its performance in a dashboard which compares its success rates against internal benchmarks, similar programs in the agency, and past program performance. If a program is underperforming, potential programming issues are analyzed and corrective steps are taken by the Senior Team, the Director of Quality, Compliance, and Implementation, and appropriate Program Directors in order to improve performance for the next month’s dashboard and beyond. Liberation also compares success percentage rates against the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) established treatment benchmarks.
On a year-to-year basis, Liberation Programs follows the National Outcome Measures established by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Although individual goals may vary, overall, the goals are grouped into four primary areas:
1. Abstinence from substance use and successful completion of treatment
2. Improved stability, which may include housing/employment/education
3. Access to services and social connectedness
4. Resolution of issues with criminal justice system
•In Fiscal Year 2020, we served 2,449 Recoverees for substance use and mental health disorders—often co-occurring—and provided education and prevention services to 2,705 students.
•Liberation’s expertise in the field of substance use treatment was recognized most recently by a three-year accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), its highest honor.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
The Pelletier Wellness Center is our response to meet an ever-growing need for substance use treatment. Designed to be open and stigma-free, the space is a $1+ million, 11,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art substance use treatment center in Bridgeport, Connecticut’s most populous city, that provides substance use treatment and expanded services including primary medical and dental care through a partnership with Southwest Community Health Center. The Center has also served as home to Connecticut Community of Addiction Recovery (CCAR) Recovery Coach Academy trainings and National Acupuncture Detoxification Association trainings for staff. The Center had its Grand Opening in September 2019 and served 15.1% more Recoverees in its first year of operation than the year prior.
The Mobile Wellness Vans offer outreach services to help Recoverees where they are in the community. Stationed in Bridgeport, Greenwich, Norwalk, and Stamford every week, the Vans offer prescriber services, a Recovery Coach, referrals, recovery supports, syringe exchange, overdose education, and NARCAN kits. The Van breaks down an initial barrier for those in the community who cannot physically get to Liberation’s clinics, bringing lifesaving services to them instead. The Vans and Recovery Coaches saw over 1,000 clients in Fiscal Year 2021 and helped distribute harm reduction supplies, facilitate intakes, and provide information about Liberation and its services to the community.
Our goals for the future include expanding our capacity to serve more individuals. This will happen through an expansion of telehealth services which is crucial for individuals without easy access to treatment. Additionally we aim to add an additional Mobile Wellness Van to our fleet to meet more folks in the community to provide treatment and diversion from the criminal justice system. We will also expand our relationships with local hospitals and police departments to provide real-time treatment and resources.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
We serve individuals and families living with substance use and mental health disorders.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Suggestion box/email,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
Our board,
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We act on the feedback we receive,
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback,
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2020 info
0.41
Months of cash in 2020 info
2
Fringe rate in 2020 info
24%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Liberation Programs Inc.
Revenue & expensesFiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
Liberation Programs Inc.
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
This snapshot of Liberation Programs Inc.’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
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Business model indicators
| Profitability info | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | $423,503 | $571,606 | $274,460 | $360,961 | $367,165 |
| As % of expenses | 4.4% | 6.3% | 2.9% | 3.8% | 3.7% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | $157,252 | $238,834 | -$10,003 | -$141,397 | -$959 |
| As % of expenses | 1.6% | 2.5% | -0.1% | -1.4% | 0.0% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $9,949,880 | $9,637,357 | $9,606,483 | $9,895,496 | $10,338,296 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | 8.1% | -3.1% | -0.3% | 3.0% | 4.5% |
| Program services revenue | 50.5% | 56.5% | 59.2% | 60.8% | 62.7% |
| Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Investment income | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| Government grants | 41.7% | 34.5% | 32.4% | 30.9% | 27.9% |
| All other grants and contributions | 6.6% | 7.7% | 6.7% | 6.7% | 9.2% |
| Other revenue | 1.3% | 1.4% | 1.7% | 1.4% | 0.1% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $9,526,378 | $9,065,751 | $9,332,023 | $9,534,539 | $9,971,131 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | 9.5% | -4.8% | 2.9% | 2.2% | 4.6% |
| Personnel | 69.3% | 69.8% | 69.7% | 69.2% | 70.9% |
| Professional fees | 5.0% | 4.1% | 4.8% | 4.1% | 3.1% |
| Occupancy | 10.4% | 5.9% | 4.9% | 6.7% | 2.7% |
| Interest | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.8% | 1.2% | 1.4% |
| Pass-through | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| All other expenses | 15.3% | 20.3% | 19.8% | 18.8% | 22.0% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $9,792,629 | $9,398,523 | $9,616,486 | $10,036,897 | $10,339,255 |
| One month of savings | $793,865 | $755,479 | $777,669 | $794,545 | $830,928 |
| Debt principal payment | $8,123 | $6,528 | $6,529 | $2,127 | $4,259 |
| Fixed asset additions | $0 | $0 | $616,253 | $0 | $0 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $10,594,617 | $10,160,530 | $11,016,937 | $10,833,569 | $11,174,442 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 1.7 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 1.1 | 2.0 |
| Months of cash and investments | 2.8 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 3.6 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | -3.4 | -3.2 | -3.5 | -3.1 | -2.6 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $1,372,129 | $2,112,666 | $2,078,692 | $886,793 | $1,642,155 |
| Investments | $832,870 | $831,807 | $831,778 | $1,334,439 | $1,331,868 |
| Receivables | $623,596 | $453,335 | $576,425 | $549,271 | $1,170,176 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $6,507,405 | $6,627,762 | $7,157,004 | $6,939,970 | $6,765,309 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 69.1% | 71.6% | 69.0% | 74.3% | 77.5% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 115.2% | 109.5% | 109.0% | 114.2% | 111.3% |
| Unrestricted net assets | -$747,846 | -$509,012 | -$519,015 | -$660,412 | -$661,371 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total net assets | -$747,846 | -$509,012 | -$519,015 | -$660,412 | -$661,371 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
President & Chief Executive Officer
Mr. John Hamilton
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
Liberation Programs Inc.
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
Liberation Programs Inc.
Highest paid employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
Liberation Programs Inc.
Board of directorsas of 02/23/2023
Board of directors data
Debra Hertz
The Strategy Group
Term: 2020 -
John P. Bassler
David M. Morosan
Kwame Moses
Allison Milne
Steve Fogarty
Sallyan Pelletier
Cynthia J. Shaw
Brigitte Van Den Houte
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
No data
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Contractors
Fiscal year endingGuideStar Pro Reports
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