Oral history interview with William Fusco, 2014

Biographical Note

William "Bill" Fusco was born and raised in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, in a working class family. He became involved in "street life" as a young teenager. A few run-ins with the law landed him at Phoenix House in 1968. Fusco was in treatment for two years, and eventually came to serve the organization as a "pioneer," opening up and renovating new houses. He left Phoenix House in 1970, and subsequently dedicated his life to furthering the therapeutic community model. He soon established Dynamic Youth Community in the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn, which extends the therapeutic model to work with at-risk youth and their families

Scope and Contents

Fusco describes the working class community in Sunset Park during the 1950s and 1960s, and his entry into Phoenix House on 88th Street in Manhattan. He narrates his role in establishing new Phoenix House locations like East 116th Street. Moving to acquisitions, he worked at Phelan Place, Prospect Place, and Putnam Valley. He then speaks on the establishment of Dynamic Youth Community in Brooklyn, his own therapeutic community venture for adolescents. Particular attention is given to the changing therapeutic community model

Subjects

• Drug addicts--Rehabilitation--United States.
• Executives--Interviews.
• Fusco, William--Interviews.
• Interviews.
• Oral histories (literary works)
• Phoenix House (Organization)
• Substance abuse--Treatment.
• Sunset Park (New York, N.Y.)
• 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