Articles

 ORCA House, Inc. is one of the oldest African-American founded and operated adult substance abuse treatment center in the country. It was founded in 1942 by several dedicated recovering individuals who had a sincere desire to reach out to others in need of help and support to recover from the disease of alcoholism and drug addiction. Being located primarily in the Outhwaite neighborhood of Greater Cleveland, by 1950, this small committed group of caring individuals had incorporated as the Outhwaite Recovery Center for Alcoholics, re-incorporated as ORCA House, Inc. 62 years later ORCA House is an essential, non-profit adult rehabilitation center with three facilities and a commendable history of serving the indigent adult populations of Greater Cleveland and its neighboring communities. ORCA House prescribes to the philosophy that Chemical dependency is a progressive, treatable disease that negatively impacts the entire family unit. To this end, ORCA House adopts a holistic, culturally-relevant approach to service delivery that effectively addresses the needs and actively involves the whole family in the recovery process.    

 It is important to acknowledge the critical role that the members of ORCA House’s first Board of Trustees played in the overall development of the agency. 
These members included: 

 Basil F. Ramey.  Atty

John L. Bailey

Johnnie Marshall

Ruth Hawkins

Gertrude Overton

Alfonso Holman

 Without their fierce dedication to the needs of those in recovery, ORCA House would not have existed to help the lives of so many individuals struggling with the consequences of addiction.