Hogar CREA is a non-profit organization dedicated for over 48 years to re-education and growth of character through a therapeutic community approach. Juan José García Ríos founded Hogar CREA on May 28, 1968, in the Saint Just Ward municipality of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. is a Spanish acronym, which translates to "Center for the Re-Education of Addicts". Its philosophy is based on the existential principle of individual and collective responsibility, self-effort, and mutual help. We currently have 104 facilities operating throughout the island of Puerto Rico, the United States, and Central and South America. Hogar CREA offers drug and alcohol addiction treatment services within a residential environment to individuals and adolescents of both sexes. The residents at Hogar CREA who participate in our programs are exposed to a real home environment with the physical, emotional, spiritual, and moral components that contribute to forming a sound character. The resident learns to assume responsibility for his life and conduct. Through performing a series of daily duties, the resident acquires individual and collective responsibility. All of the chores performed in the Home are an integral part of the reconstruction process of the resident's life. Directorship in the Homes is in the hands of re-educated individuals who are both the product and an example of the program's effectiveness. This peer modality is based on the principle that an ex-resident, having gone through the same process, will have the best understanding of the program and can reach a sound relationship with individuals in treatment. The Directors and personnel are assisted in this endeavor by a group of professionals such as social workers, psychologists, nurses, and doctors who offer direct services to the residents.