Oral history interview with Howard Friend, 2014

Biographical Note

Howard Friend was born and raised in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. A difficult childhood led to drug use and homelessness, and the search for a warm bed brought him to Phoenix House in 1969. After undergoing treatment at Coney Island for two years, he became a therapeutic community house director, serving Phoenix House in Prospect Place, Phelan Place and locations in Manhattan. In 1982, he was asked to Orange County, California to serve as director in the new facility working with adolescents. He remained in charge of adolescent programming in Orange Co. until his retirement in 2012

Scope and Contents

Friend describes Phoenix House's Coney Island facility, where he initially entered treatment. He narrates how he became a resident director. He gives particular attention to the adolescent programs he opened for Phoenix House in California, beginning in 1982. He discusses some of the issues regarding work with adolescents. He speaks on Phoenix House's relationship with the Orange County government, and compares California populations to their New York counterparts. Finally, he deals with the effects of the increasing medicalization of substance abuse treatment

Subjects

• Drug addicts--Rehabilitation--United States.
• Executives--Interviews.
• Friend, Howard--(Phoenix House employee)--Interviews.
• Interviews.
• Oral histories (literary works)
• Orange County (Calif.)
• Phoenix House (Organization)
• Substance abuse--Treatment.
• Teenagers--Drug use--United States.
• Therapeutic communities.
• Thurner, Lance, interviewer.

Access Conditions

Copyright by the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, 2014