Rincon Family Services

At Rincon Family Services (formerly El Rincon Community Clinic), we believe that each individual possesses the right to develop his/her potential in the environment they live, and to develop the tools that will assist them in acquiring the resources to live self-sufficiently as contributing members of their family, community, and society. We have a strong commitment to help those individuals that somehow have been less fortunate in recognizing and utilizing their potential. We are committed to providing a holistic service approach to treat the individual by helping him/her recognize destructive behaviors and help them make the necessary life changes to produce a better quality of life. Substance abuse impacts the most vulnerable within our population composition, with no regard for age, race, ethnicity, or social class.

We recognize that an individual does not lose human value or privileges due to an inability to cope with every day problems in a constructive way as expected of healthy persons. The agency is committed to guard against any violations to the human rights of any individual who seeks assistance at our facility.

History:
Rincon Family Services (known then as “El Rincon”) was founded in 1972 and led by Rafael “Paloma” Rios, an enigmatic organizer in Chicago’s Puerto Rican community. Among other achievements, Rios has been credited with being the visionary force among the originators of Fiestas Patronales—a long-standing annual festival celebrating Puerto Rican heritage and culture in Humboldt Park. With the support and intellect of a group of empowered Latino civic leaders—among them clergy, elected officials, law enforcement and medical professionals—RFS became the first agency of its kind in the West Town community. It was a gem in the disregarded neighborhoods of West Town (Humboldt Park, Pulaski Park, Wicker Park, Ukrainian Village, East Village, River West, Noble Square and Smith Park); an establishment by Latinos for Latinos who sought a safe haven from the perils of drug addiction.

Through decades of gentrification and imminent socioeconomic gaps, underrepresented residents have struggled to survive against various disparities magnified by their living conditions, including addiction, violence and homelessness. Rincon has become an oasis for men and women of all ethnic and racial backgrounds who seek individualized, culturally-competent, holistic care for their health concerns.

We have followed our community and now have centers in West Humboldt Park, Avondale and Belmont-Cragin, where we serve some of the most marginalized and at-risk groups in the Chicagoland area. We pride ourselves in our ability to understand and meet clients where they are, giving them the tools necessary to become empowered and contributing members of their communities, in some cases for the first time. This is evidenced by the amount of staff and board members who have been a personal history with addiction and deeply understand its domino-effect on family life.

For this reason, RFS has proved itself more committed to the family unit than ever before. In the last five years, we have added seven new programs that engage children, teenagers, parents and alternative methods of treating and preventing addictive behaviors. Additionally, we are invested in diversifying our resources in order to provide the most comprehensive, sustainable care available to our clients. Rincon proudly remains a community-empowered organization that specializes in care.