Focus On Living

Community Integration

Focus On Living’s main office is located in downtown Duluth, a Lake Superior port city famous for Grandma’s Marathon, harsh weather and hearty residents. Co-owner Tom Kriech insisted that Focus On Living’s clients be part of the downtown’s hustle and bustle. He reasoned that a centralized downtown location allowed clients to both orientate themselves to active surroundings and navigate among the city’s many public transportation routes – its buslines, sky walks, lakewalks and famous cobble-stone streets. In downtown Duluth, clients gather for chemical dependency counseling, utilize the city’s noted public library, watch the ships come in, visit the downtown’s myriad museums and put to use their community orientation skills as well as bus training and bus independence. The Adult Learning Center, where clients continue their education, is downtown. Most of the clients’ appointments with health and care team professionals are downtown. So rather than sequester clients in a rural setting for the sake of easier supervision, Focus On Living vowed to challenge its clients. In their first foray back into a community setting, Focus On Living’s clients find themselves right in the middle of the action – where they can grow every step of the way.