OUR STORY
1971
Founded by a group of active parents, Straight Talk Clinic was initially a local community response to growing evidence of illicit drug use among children and teenagers attending local schools. Within 4 years, the agency was sustaining a range of outpatient drug prevention and treatment services to hundreds of Orange County families per year, the majority (63%) reporting family incomes below poverty level.
1978
Straight Talk contracted with the County Health Care Agency to design and implement a pioneering prevention and outpatient treatment program for teenagers abusing drugs and/or alcohol. Our Adolescent Alcoholism Treatment program becomes State-certified 5 years later in 1983 - becoming the first recognized adolescent outpatient program in the State of California.
1984
Straight Talk launches a family counseling program in the city of La Mirada to serve students in the 'La Mirada-Norwalk School District. Later that year,
the agency was granted State start-up funding to establish 4 community care residential facilities to serve dually-diagnosed Developmentally Disabled adults in the Orange County and Long Beach areas.
1990
Straight Talk opens Gerry House, Southern California's only residential substance abuse treatment and transitional emergency facilities offering 24-hour services to indigent HIV AIDS+ intravenous drug users at that time.
1997
By 1997, The agency operates 2 outpatient clinics (Cypress and La Mirada); no-cost services for on-campus student counseling programs in over 9 school districts;10 community care-licensed residential facilities; a 6,000 square-foot Developmental Disabilities Day Center in Signal Hill; Gerry House, Gerry House West & Start House. The agency also begins to operate the Cypress College Swap Meet as a fundraising partnership between Straight Talk and the College.
2007
Belonging to Straight Talk, Stable Ground was purchased with the help of a grant administered through Santa Ana’s Housing Opportunities for People Living with Aids. The home houses residents recovering from addiction who are also affected by HIV.
2019
Straight Talk Clinic decides to move their Cypress office to Santa Ana in order to better serve all of Orange County.