Our Story

To us at Camelot – the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment program that opened its doors to troubled youths in 1971 – the name engenders a great deal of pride. We are  proud of our accomplishments since a group of Staten Island business people of the former North Shore Kiwanis Club of Staten Island founded Camelot.

Our Camelot has no myths, just plain hard work and real accomplishments. A lot has changed since 1971. The original Port Richmond storefront has been demolished and will be rebuilt as a 35 bed Reintegration Program with an Outpatient component.  In 1992 we opened Staten Island’s first SUD 25 bed residential facility. In 2012 we opened our 45 bed program for males on the Sea View Hospital Campus. Plans are in motion to open Staten Island’s 1^st 47 bed Women with Children Residential Treatment Program on the campus of Sea View Hospital. The most important change has been the increase in our knowledge of Substance Use Disorder treatment … and what it takes to sustain recovery.

Good behavioral therapy is always important, but not the sole ingredient of a sustained healthy lifestyle.  Repairing yesterday’s trauma is only half the battle. That’s why we stress teaching down-to-earth life skills, giving clients a sense of self mastery, reducing their feelings of inadequacy, and fostering independence from drugs and government subsidy.