1. How long has Native American Connections been around, and why was it created? Native American Connections (NAC) was founded in 1972 by a few Native men who were sober and in alcohol recovery. They were committed to providing a safe, affordable place to live, where residents would be supported in their recovery and connect to jobs and community resources. NAC provides cultural and social support to Native people living in the Phoenix metropolitan area. It started with a drop-in center with community education and support, and in 1978 opened Indian Rehabilitation, a 16-bed residential substance-use treatment center that operated at the same site DIANA YAZZIE DEVINE 10 QUESTIONS WITH President and CEO of Native American Connections 6 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | SEPTEMBER 2018

for 38 years. Since opening that site, NAC has grown to providing comprehensive behavioral health services, affordable housing for families and formerly homeless men and women along with emergency housing for youth, and community development services at over 20 locations, serving more than 10,000 people per year. 2. Has its purpose changed over the years? The mission has remained the same: providing safe, affordable places to live — 750 units of housing where residents are supported with healthy life skills and substance-abuse recovery. NAC has expanded from serving Native men to serving women and their dependent children, families and all populations requesting services, with the Native population remaining our priority. Our 200 employees are committed to the mission; many were formerly homeless or involved with the criminal justice system as a result of alcohol and drug addiction. 3. You’ve worked with the organization for nearly 40 years. How did you become involved? I had been working in northern Wisconsin with one of the Ojibwe communities prior to moving to Arizona. When I came to NAC in 1979, I didn’t realize this would become my life’s work. I was the third employee for Indian Rehabilitation. We all did everything, but mostly I focused on running the facility and the financial and administrative work. But I helped with groups and cooking and transporting men to appointments — whatever it took to keep things going. About six months into my employment, the board of directors gave me the title of executive director, but it didn’t really change what I did. Not long after, NAC opened Guiding Star, a residential treatment program for Native women and their children. Then, clients asked for sober living and NAC opened its first transitional supportive housing community. Our treatment philosophy was “Healthy Mind, Healthy Body, Healthy Spirit,” so in the early 1980s NAC already began focusing on the “whole person” — not just the problems they presented with — and also acknowledging that substance abuse affects everyone in the family and their community. 4. Tell us about the work Native American Connections does today. The urban Native American community continued to grow larger in the Phoenix area as people were moving to seek jobs, education and housing. So NAC kept growing to meet the needs. NAC purchased its first property in 1978 and has leveraged that single service site into developing more than 20 service sites throughout Central Phoenix, providing a comprehensive range of behavioral health services, both residential and outpatient; over 750 units of permanent supportive housing for homeless individuals; affordable housing for working families; emergency housing for homeless youth; and community development activities that include the 2017 re-opening of the former Phoenix Indian School and the development of administrative space at the Native American Community Service Center in midtown Phoenix, in partnership with the Phoenix Indian Center. NAC owns and operates all of our services sites and continues to leverage our resources to meet the needs of the Native population and the growing needs of low-income families. NAC opened the beautiful 70-bed residential substance-use disorder program Patina Wellness Center in 2016 and within months was at full capacity. 5. What are some of the biggest challenges facing Native Americans locally? The impact of historical trauma on health disparities, economic development and cultural preservation. NAC is particularly focused on improving health disparities and addressing the social determinants of health (housing, transportation, education). To ensure we meet challenges, a large portion of our employee base includes individuals who have histories with substance use, the criminal justice system SEPTEMBER 2018 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA 7