The Argus Community, Inc., in the South Bronx, NY, is an extended family program founded in 1968 by Elizabeth Sturz, a poet and former probation officer. As its brochure states, this agency provides "an alternative life program for adolescents and adults who have been on the treadmill of unemployment, underemployment, street hustling, welfare, substance abuse, crime and prison, and who saw no way out for themselves." Argus has residential and non-residential programs for high-risk youth and adults. Programs such as Access (Argus Community Care, Equity and Support Services), Access II, ACT I (Argus Counselor Training Institute), Argus High Tech, Argus IV, Harbor House, Job Horizons, Learning for Living Center and New Leaf are provided in a drug-free, safe and nurturing environment. Argus offers other services: Acupressure/Stress Reduction, Addiction Counselor Training (CASAC licensure), Advocacy, Aftercare, Case Management, Computer Skills Development, Crisis Intervention, Education and Remedial Education, Health Education, Home Visits, Hotline, Housing Referrals/Placement, Internships, Job Training and Placement, Life Skills Training, Recreation Therapy, Therapeutic Communities for Homeless Men and Women, Vocational Training, and World of Work Training/Work Experience. The Eisenhower Foundation National Cluster Workshops and Argus Replication Training (on and off-site) provide capacity building to the agency's staff. | |||||||||||
