Step Toward Success

About Step Toward Success

Step Toward Success is a peer-supported apartment program in Erie County, near Buffalo, NY, run by Cazenovia Recovery, a nonprofit that offers residential substance use treatment and housing across Western New York. The program sits at the Supportive Living level of Cazenovia’s continuum of care, which is meant for people who are further along in recovery and ready to build more independence while still having staff assistance. Cazenovia treats substance use disorder as a medical condition that responds to the right mix of medication, counseling, and skill-building. People can enter at whichever level fits their needs, and there’s no fixed length of stay, though time in Supportive Living typically runs six months to a year.

Group and individual counseling are the core tools across Cazenovia’s programs, and residents get some choice in which groups they attend so their schedules reflect what they actually need to work on. Group topics can include boundaries, conflict resolution, employment goals, family issues, mindfulness, stress management, and parenting. Their approach is trauma-informed and draws on evidence-based methods such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Contingency Management. Medication-assisted treatment is supported throughout the agency, and residents in programs like this one are connected with local prescribers and helped to stay on their medication regimens.