Then she thanked everyone there for helping her kick her 10-year alcohol and drug habit. Willis drove more than 200 miles from Paso Robles last week to attend her graduation ceremony from Friendship House, a culturally based drug treatment center for Native Americans in San Francisco with beds for 14 women and 15 men. Before entering the program, Willis was one of disproportionately high number per capita of Native Americans in California who report they are addicted to alcohol and illegal drugs. Last year alone, nearly 2,000 out of a population of more than 300,000 served time in state prison due to drug and alcohol-related offenses, according to the Department of Corrections. Experts say many more than that were held in county and local jails, although exact numbers are not available.
Most families have someone in state or federal prison.
Willis is just the kind of person supporters of Proposition 36, the state ballot initiative, would like to see in drug treatment rather than jail. She has never been convicted for drug sales or a violent crime, although at the height of her addiction Willis said she smoked crank almost daily. Some 45,000 Native Americans live in the Bay Area, according to the 1990 Census and the Friendship House is the only residential treatment center in the region designed specifically for Native Americans. There are only three others state-wide, and just a handful exist in the country, according to those who work with the Native American community. Paul Lowry, the clinical director of an outpatient facility in Santa Rosa, said he sees more than 10,000 clients annually, and sends several to Friendship House for residential treatment.