Equipping youth for a lifetime of freedom and success!
Our Mission is to equip emerging adults (18-29), who have been marginalized by substance abuse, poverty, and crisis, with the skills needed to live and work successfully in the community.
Engaging The Need
A significant population of young people in Cleveland and Bradley County lives on the margin due to substance abuse, poverty, and crisis. Juvenile court representatives relate that the recidivism rate among adolescents and young adults is extremely high — in the 90 percent range. After intervention and treatment, individuals are returned to their previous environments. Consequently, they do not receive support beyond initial rehabilitation. They are not provided housing, life skills training, or financial literacy.
Without job skills, they are not ready for independence.
Our young adult men need more time to heal and walk out life principles to help sustain their sobriety and freedom from substance use. They need continued support (12—18+ months) to build a new life.
Dream Center of Ocoee Region (DCOOR) is this place. We provide housing, food, medical care, mental health care, life skills training, and job training, and placement. Our goal is the success of each participant. We provide the structure and services for our students to be independent and equipped to become a vibrant part of the community after completing our program.
Faith is central to this mission. We provide residents opportunities to experience and build a relationship with Jesus Christ. We believe hope is available for our young adults. They can achieve success in living independently, caring for themselves and their families, and sustaining freedom from life-controlling addictions. However, they require assistance and time to develop healthy thinking and lifestyles. A praxis component is essential for applying the principles they were exposed to while in the care of the juvenile court system and treatment facilities.
Dream Center provides an extended, safe, and supportive environment while our young men are building a newly transformed life!
Statistics you should know
90%
Increase in unintentional death by overdose in younger Tennesseans — ranked #3 of 46 states — with 139 deaths among 15 - 24 year olds in 2019.
3,000
Drug overdoses in 2020, increased 44% from 2019, compared to 24% nationally.
#13
The rank Tennessee is down for in heroin use among 38 states.
2,000+
of statewide overdose deaths involved synthetic opioids like fentanyl, an 85% annual increase compared with 55% increase nationally (youths included in totals).
Chronic sadness,
Suicidal ideation, attempts, and deaths
Worsened during a 5-year period with historic highs in 2019.
- 19.2% of highschoolers seriously considered
- 10.6% of highschoolers attempted
- 15.5 per 100,000 succeeded suicide death
Alcohol comsumption
was down 50%
in 2019 as compared to 2003.
Source: Sycamore Institute, November 15, 2021, report;
an independent, nonpartisan, public policy research for Tennessee.
