From it's inception, OKC Metro Alliance, Inc. has been an agency for progressive change.

The OKC Metro Alliance, Inc. a non-profit corporation was founded in 1973 to administer the Public Inebriate Alternative (PIA) in downtown Oklahoma City. Over the years OKC Metro Alliance added two residential recovery programs called Firstep for individuals who are in need of long term recovery services in a supportive, drug and alcohol free environment. The mission of OKC Metro Alliance is to assist Oklahoman's who want to recover from substance abuse by providing long term residential work recovery and to offer alternatives to incarceration.

PIA is an OKC Police Department program that provides an alternative to the jail and court system for adults who have been detained for public intoxication but who are not committing any other crime. At the discretion of the detaining officer, persons can be brought to PIA for a ten hour detention period, where they are fed and can "sleep it off" in a safe, clean place. After the ten hour detention period is up, the person is released without criminal charges, court dates or a record of arrest. This program is progressive and unique as it saves police time and tax dollars by offering an alternative to jail for inebriated individuals. Many cities across the nation are beginning to replicate the PIA program in an effort to save resources and avoid overcrowding the jail system. OKC Metro Alliance, Inc. manages the PIA program for the OKC Police Department.

The Firstep Recovery Residential Programs for Men (founded in 1987) and Women (founded in 1989) provide an opportunity for those with alcohol and chemical dependencies to become clean and sober and thus reclaim the productive lives they once had. Firstep is a long-term, residential, work-recovery program. The program is unique in that we do not charge our clients, rather, the clients work in job training sites we procure for them, and the income generated by that work sustains the program. Our Women's facility has recently opened a new dormitory offering fifty-six (56) beds for women in recovery. The Men's facility has capacity for eighty-five (85). The Men's program is a 6 month residential commitment and the Women's program is 9 months. Both campuses are close to Lake Stanley Draper in south Oklahoma City on land leased from the Oklahoma City Water Utility Trust Authority.

Our clients attend job training six days a week, and devote evenings to the 12-Step program of Alcoholics Anonymous. For many of our clients, Firstep is an opportunity of last resort. Many have tried treatment programs that did not work. Many have battled addictions for so long that they have forgotten how to live a responsible life. We offer a better way of life by helping individuals to regain their independence and become self- sufficient again through participation in a 12 Step recovery program offered at Firstep.

Living in a therapeutic residential community, our clients relearn life skills, such as getting up every morning and going to work training. They learn to be where they are supposed to be, they learn to be punctual and reliable and they learn to give their best while at the work training site. In addition to creating valuable work habits, clients receive individual counseling, group therapy, relapse prevention, anger management, and parenting classes offered on our campus through a contracted, state-certified mental health and substance abuse treatment facility.

Referrals to the Firstep programs are received from a variety of resources such as graduates of the program, attorneys, drug and alcohol counselors, ministers, social workers, private physicians, twelve step recovery groups, court systems and jail alternative programs such as Drug Courts across Oklahoma. OKC Metro Alliance, Inc. serves all areas of the state of Oklahoma.