The boards of directors of The Center For Drug-Free Living and Helping Others Make the Effort, or HOME, have announced the completion of The Center’s acquisition of HOME’s facilities and services in Osceola County.

Under the agreement, HOME’s transitional housing campus in Kissimmee, as well as its HOMELite, HOMEBase and HOMEFast programs, will be incorporated into The Center’s continuum of services. The acquisition, which has been more than a year in the making, will allow HOME to continue serving individuals and families in Osceola County who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, The Center officials stated in a press release.

As a member of The Center’s continuum of programs, HOME will be able to access more secure revenue streams while also capitalizing on the company’s 40 years of experience in operating evidence-based programs that focus on at-risk individuals and families. Dick Jacobs, president and CEO of The Center, said.

“We look forward to continuing these partnerships, enhancing them and developing new collaborations that will ultimately help to break the cycle of homelessness in our community,” Jacobs said.

Cara Eule, HOME’s executive director prior to the acquisition by The Center, said she is excited about the opportunity to enhance HOME’s ability to deliver services to the residents of Osceola County.

“We have built an immensely successful program that moves families toward self-sufficiency and this move offers the security and sustainability necessary to expand the self-sufficiency model within our community,” Eule said. “As part of The Center, HOME is better positioned to build the remainder of its campus, including the proposed Family Nurturing Center, which will house life-skills classes and a 24-hour child-care center. This is good news for families in need in Osceola County.”

Eule will continue to work on these goals as the HOME program director at The Center.

As part of the agreement, the HOME transitional housing facility, as well as the HOMELite, HOMEBase and HOMEFast programs, will continue to operate using the HOME name as a separate program within The Center. Additionally, Helping Others Make the Effort will continue to exist as an independent, not-for-profit corporation, dedicated to developing resources necessary to help others cope with the issue of homelessness.

Contributions and grants made to HOME will continue to support its programming and local mission.

“We especially want to thank the law offices of Akerman-Senterfitt, who donated all of their time and resources to making this process go so smoothly,” Gregg Hostetler, chairman of HOME’s board of directors, said.

To learn more about The Center For Drug-Free Living and the HOME program, the community is invited to attend an open house from 2 to 5 p.m. April 9, at the HOME Campus, 924 Determination Way, Kissimmee.

The Center For Drug-Free Living, based in Orlando, is a comprehensive, behavioral health services, not-for-profit corporation; it has been serving Central Florida for 40 years, providing prevention, intervention and treatment to individuals and families coping with substance use and mental health disorders, juvenile delinquency, homelessness, HIV/ AIDS, hepatitis and other behavioral health issues.

The Center has an adolescent residential campus in Intercession City and an outpatient center/prevention and intervention services site at 2540 Michigan Ave., Kissimmee.

For more information about The Center for Drug-Free Living and the HOME Program, visit www.cfdfl.com and www.osceolahome.org or contact Todd Dixon, The Center director of community affairs, at 407-245-0045 ext. 242, or Cara Eule, program director of HOME, at 407-932-0943.