At Social Model Recovery Systems (SMRS), prevention is about strengthening the connections that keep communities healthy. It’s about helping families thrive, giving young people reasons to dream, and making sure no one feels left out or unheard.
Prevention means healing and breaking cycles before they begin. While treatment can help save one life at a time, prevention can change the future for many. By listening, building relationships, and offering tools for informed choices, prevention helps entire neighborhoods grow stronger.
“When voices are heard, change will happen.” —Bruce Boardman, SMRS CEO
That belief is at the heart of our work. We listen first, because lasting solutions come from understanding the real needs and strengths of the people we serve.
“Prevention isn’t simply telling young people to “just say no”; it’s about creating stronger, healthier neighborhoods for them to grow up in. Connection is the opposite of addiction. It counters the isolation that fuels addiction and fosters a sense of purpose, belonging, and mutual support. Prevention begins by listening to the community, to the people who know their own needs best.” — Charles Porter, Senior Director, Prevention Services
With guidance from Chief Strategy Officer, Zelenne L. Cardenas, our Prevention Department provides care, resources, and hope through programs that reach across Los Angeles County. Every day, people across Los Angeles connect with SMRS programs to meet basic needs, build trust, and take their first steps toward better health.
- Tobacco-Free Partnership, Bell & South Gate
Reduces youth access to tobacco products through education and policy change. - Community Centered Emergency Room Project (CCERP)
Promotes health and wellness through community engagement and policy change in Boyle Heights. - City of Los Angeles Collaborative for Substance Use Care
Connects people experiencing homelessness to outpatient and inpatient treatment through coordinated screening and referral. - United Coalition East Prevention Project (UCEPP)
Promotes health and wellness through community engagement and policy change in Skid Row. - Skid Row Care Campus (SRCC)
Provides a low-barrier, community-centered health hub that goes beyond basic needs, offering showers, laundry, case management, harm reduction, health care, and housing navigation in a dignified and welcoming space. - Skid Row Community ReFresh Spot
Operates a 24/7 drop-in site offering showers, restrooms, laundry, drinking water, charging stations, Wi-Fi, and hygiene supplies, including wound care kits, socks, and overdose prevention materials. - Skid Row Action Plan (SRAP)
Centers resident leadership in driving systems change through an authentic co-design process with community members who have lived experience, are paid for their expertise, and lead service and system transformation.
At SMRS, prevention is both thoughtful and deeply personal. Our work is guided by data and rooted in the real needs of the communities we serve. But at its core, prevention is about people. It means listening to their stories, honoring their voices, working to change the systems that shape their lives, and walking beside them as they build healthier futures. Prevention is rooted in collaboration. It is not the work of one organization but all of us: parents, teachers, doctors, neighbors, advocates, and policymakers. Every voice matters, and together we can shape the kind of communities where everyone has the chance to thrive.
