The John Brooks Recovery Center (JBRC) was founded in January of 1969 (as NARCO, Inc.) in Atlantic City by a group of six Atlantic City residents with the assistance of the Episcopalian Diocese of New Jersey and the Division of Urban Concerns. John Brooks a recovering heroin addict and ex convict had been the driving force and subsequent Executive Director for many years. At that time JBRC was an outpatient storefront treatment center for drug abusers. The primary mission was to provide quality treatment for minority, indigent drug abusers within the area of Atlantic City. A secondary but very vital mission was to provide prevention and education in the area for concerned groups such as churches, schools, social clubs and civic organizations.

In August of 1970, NARCO received its first grant of $57,940 from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. This grant, along with $35,000 provided by the Episcopalian United Thanks Fund, enabled NARCO to expand and relocate into a 24,000 square foot building which had been a skating rink. NARCO received immeasurable support from local labor unions, business people and local municipalities in its efforts to convert the building into a residential treatment center for drug addiction.

In 1971, NARCO applied to the National Institute of Mental Health, a division of Health, Education and Welfare, for an eight-year grant, which was approved and initiated on October 1, 1971. The agency received over eight million dollars over the life of this contract to provide treatment for drug abusers in Atlantic City and its environment. Subsequent agreements were also signed with federal, state and county agencies to provide these services. In September 1976, the agency purchased the building at 1315 Pacific Ave, which presently houses the men’s residential program, outpatient methadone/suboxone programs, our admissions and medical department. In 1998 the building at 20 South Tennessee Avenue was purchased and used to house the Women’s Residential Services and administrative offices. In 2005 further renovations were completed on the first floor creating an Outpatient Center for our Women’s Day Program and our afternoon/evening coed adult outpatient programs. At that time the administrative office were consolidated and moved across the street to leased space on the second floor of 19 So. Tennessee Ave.

We presently lease space at 15 So. Tennessee Avenue for our HIV Prevention Program for IV drug users.  In September of 2007 we were awarded a $1.2 milllion contract from the Division of Addiction Services to provide mobile outpatient methadone/suboxone services under Project ROW to include counseling for adult IV opiate addicts. In January of 2008 we were awarded a contract for $871,000 to work in partnership with another Atlantic County agency named CODI to provide supportive housing and case management services for 31 IV drug users.

To honor our founder, John Brooks, we changed our name from the Institute for Human Development to the John Brooks Recovery Center in December 2007