Vera Institute of Justice

Overview

This report evaluates La Bodega de la Familia (The Family Grocery), a program in New York City that works with the families of drug users who are under justice system supervision, with the goal of promoting the users' recovery. Researchers compared outcomes for Bodega participants with outcomes for a comparison group of drug users and family members, and conducted in-depth interviews with a subsample of both groups. The proportion of Bodega drug users who reported using illegal drugs declined from 80 percent to 42 percent over the six-month study period, significantly more than in the comparison group. Bodega family members also got medical and social service needs met at significantly higher rates than those in the comparison group.