A behavioral health organization built for outcomes, not episodes.
Phoenix, Arizona | 501(c)(3) | EIN: 99-3824890
The Problem
The Behavioral Health System Is Failing
The behavioral health system in America is failing the people who need it most.
Treatment Without Housing
Leads to homelessness.
Treatment Without Employment
Leads to relapse.
Treatment Without Long-Term Support
Leads to recidivism.
Most providers treat a single episode and discharge. There is no continuity. No structured pathway. No one tracking whether the person is housed, employed, or connected to support six months later.
The system is fragmented by design, and the people inside it pay the price.
Market Opportunity
Arizona: A Large, Growing, Underserved Market
Arizona faces particularly acute challenges in behavioral health access and outcomes.
The Crisis in Arizona
Consistently ranks among the lowest in the nation for access to adult mental health care
Significant gaps between crisis discharge and outpatient follow-up
Overdose deaths remain well above the national average
Long wait times for residential and outpatient placement leave individuals vulnerable during the most critical recovery window
Demand Drivers
Expansion of Medicaid behavioral health coverage through AHCCCS
Increased court and corrections referral volume
Federal funding growth for substance use and workforce reentry programming
Growing employer demand for recovery-friendly hiring pipelines
The market is large, growing, and underserved by providers who can deliver integrated, long-term care with measurable outcomes.
Our Solution
The Renewal System
NCNC's core operating model — a six-stage program continuum designed for up to three years of engagement.
Arrival
Intake, assessment, and the Choice Framework. A structured conversation that respects autonomy and maps a personalized pathway.
Reset
Stabilization and early recovery. Detox coordination, crisis de-escalation, and immediate barrier removal.
Restore
Evidence-based therapy, care coordination, and treatment planning with measurable milestones.
Harbor
Transitional housing. Structured, supportive living environments bridging treatment and independence.
Forge
Workforce development. Trade training, certifications, employer partnerships, and job placement with retention tracking.
Next Chapter
Long-term aftercare. Alumni support, family reintegration, peer networks, and sustained community connection.
The Choice Framework
What Makes Arrival Different
The Choice Framework is designed to increase engagement from the first interaction, reduce early dropout, and build trust before clinical treatment begins.
The Choice Conversation
A structured, respectful dialogue where clients are heard, not processed. Staff are trained to listen first and assess second.
Choice Mapping
A visual tool that helps each client see where they are, what barriers exist, and what pathways are available. It turns an overwhelming moment into a clear picture.
Choice Plan
A personalized action plan built with the client, not for the client. It defines the first 30 days and creates the foundation for every phase that follows.
Service Delivery
Four Centers of Care
The Renewal System is delivered through four integrated centers, each responsible for a core dimension of recovery.
Access and Navigation Center
Intake, eligibility verification, crisis response, barrier removal, insurance navigation, and care routing.
Case management, peer support services, family education and counseling, relapse prevention programming, and transitional housing coordination through Harbor.
Community Integration Center
Life skills development, job readiness training, trade pathways through Forge, employer coordination, reentry support services, and long-term alumni programming through Next Chapter.
NCNC Works
Forge: Workforce Development
Employment is a clinical outcome, not an afterthought. Forge provides real trade training, employer-connected placement, and retention tracking so that stability becomes self-sustaining.
Trade Pathways
HVAC, plumbing, electrical, carpentry, welding, CDL/commercial driving, culinary arts, solar installation, facilities maintenance, roofing, and warehouse/logistics.
How Forge Works
Clients are assessed for aptitude and interest during Restore. Training begins during Harbor. Job placement is coordinated with recovery-friendly employer partners. Retention is tracked at 90, 180, and 365 days.
Funding Model
Designed to be funded through WIOA-eligible grants, employer cost-sharing, and training partnerships. Forge produces the employment data that satisfies funders, courts, and referral partners.
Competitive Landscape
A Fragmented Market With a Clear Gap
NCNC operates in a fragmented market where most providers specialize in one piece of the recovery puzzle.
No competitor in the Phoenix metro area offers the full lifecycle continuum that NCNC is building — broader population, longer engagement, formalized workforce pipeline, and institutional-grade compliance targets.
Compliance
Institutional-Grade Compliance Standards
NCNC is building a compliance posture that meets institutional expectations from day one and scales toward certification.
Operational From Launch
HIPAA Privacy and Security Program (written policies, workforce training, BAAs, security risk analysis, incident response)
42 CFR Part 2 protections for substance use records
OSHA and fire safety compliance
State behavioral health licensing
ADA accessibility
Target Certifications (Year 2–3)
HITRUST CSF Certification — the institutional-grade data security standard increasingly required by large payers and health systems
SOC 2 Type II Audit — independent validation of security controls
National accreditation through CARF or Joint Commission
LegitScript certification for advertising compliance
These standards reduce organizational risk, increase payer trust, and position NCNC for contracts and partnerships that less disciplined providers cannot access.
Leadership
Leadership Team
Gino Cruse
Founder and Executive Director
Direct experience in recovery, housing operations, and community service. Drives vision, stakeholder relationships, and capital strategy.
Darol Lucas
VP, Operations and Technology
24 years in IT, infrastructure, and operational systems. Builds compliance frameworks, technology architecture, KPI dashboards, and multi-site systems.
Darryl Johnson
VP, Staff and Finance
Northwest Missouri State University, Business Administration. President of Business Credit Works. Leads capital planning, financial controls, and cross-departmental alignment.
James Sesay
VP, Marketing (B2C)
Arizona State University, AS in Information Technology. Leads brand development, demand generation, community awareness, and conversion systems.
Darren Thompson
VP, Business Development (B2B)
University of Arizona, BA Communication. University of the Potomac, MBA in Marketing and Finance. Leads referral partnerships, employer pipeline, and institutional relationships.
Kylie Elizabeth
VP, Administration
Alverno College, MEd in Curriculum and Administrative Leadership. Provides administrative backbone, operating rhythm, documentation discipline, and governance readiness.
Entity Structure
Target Entity Architecture
NCNC is building toward a multi-entity architecture designed to protect the nonprofit, separate management from mission delivery, and create governance that institutional partners can trust.
NCNC Holdings, Inc. (C Corporation)
Parent company. Capital coordination, asset ownership, and investment-level governance. Status: to be formed.
Common Good Management Group, LLC (MSO)
Execution arm. Operations, marketing, business development, technology, and back-office services delivered to NCNC under formal management agreements at fair-market rates. Status: to be formed.
Revenue-generating clinical services and wraparound care where permitted. Compliant handoffs to and from NCNC. Status: to be formed.
Cruse Consulting LLC
Gino Cruse's personal brand (speaking, books, media). Legally separate for liability protection. Status: active.
Each entity operates under its own contracts, bank accounts, and approval chains. Nonprofit funds, management operations, clinical revenue, and personal brand activities are never blended.
Revenue Model
Multiple Revenue Streams Across Service Lines
NCNC generates revenue through multiple service lines that activate as operations scale.
Outpatient Clinical Services
Insurance billing at blended rates of $400 to $550 per day per client, 30 to 40 daily clients per site, 5 days per week.
Residential / Housing (Harbor)
Recurring revenue from room and board plus program fees, 6 to 10 residents per home.
Workforce Development (Forge)
Grant-funded, WIOA-eligible, and employer cost-sharing. Revenue tied to training completion and placement outcomes.
Support Services
Ancillary revenue tied to clinical operations and census.
55–60%
Clinical Payroll
As a share of clinic revenue
8–12%
Central Overhead
Of consolidated revenue at scale
20–25%
Target Margin
Operating margin once stabilized
Revenue Sustainability
Diversified Revenue Base
NCNC is building toward a diversified revenue base that does not depend on any single funding stream.
Government Contracts
SAM.gov registration in progress. Arizona's AHCCCS managed care system, ADCRR reentry programming, and WIOA-eligible workforce funding align directly with The Renewal System.
Grants and Philanthropy
Foundation funding, community development grants, and individual donor support for mission-driven programming.
Employer-Sponsored Partnerships
Employer contributions for the Forge workforce pipeline, training cost-sharing, and retention support.
Payer Diversification
Commercial insurance, Medicaid, Medicare (where applicable), and self-pay options to reduce concentration risk.
This approach ensures that no single revenue source can destabilize the organization if market conditions shift.
Strategic Analysis
SWOT Summary
💪 Strengths
Lifecycle model with up to 3 years of engagement
Integrated housing and workforce development
Leadership team with operational, financial, and technology depth
Key hires (clinical leadership, compliance officer, finance director) still to be made
Brand awareness is early stage
🚀 Opportunities
Arizona behavioral health market is underserved and growing
Medicaid expansion increasing covered lives
Federal reentry and workforce funding expanding
Few competitors pursuing HITRUST or SOC 2
Employer demand for recovery-friendly hiring pipelines increasing
🔴 Threats
Regulatory changes to Medicaid or state behavioral health policy
Workforce shortages in clinical roles
Established competitors with head starts in payer relationships
Economic conditions affecting housing and employment access for clients
Milestones
Three-Year Milestones
1
Year 1: Foundation and First Revenue
Entity formation and compliance infrastructure
First location operational, first clients enrolled, first revenue generated
KPI dashboards live and referral partner network activated
Forge program designed
2
Year 2: Stabilization and Certification Pursuit
All Renewal System stages operational
HITRUST validated assessment initiated
SOC 2 Type II audit period begins
National accreditation survey completed
Workforce retention data available
Second location evaluated based on financial performance
3
Year 3: Profitability and Market Positioning
Operating margin targets achieved, material principal reduction
HITRUST certification achieved or on final path
Published outcome data across all program stages
Capital partner relationship positioned for expanded access based on three years of demonstrated performance
Partnership
What We Are Looking For
NCNC is not seeking a one-time funding request.
We are seeking a long-term banking relationship with an institution that understands the behavioral health market, can support phased growth tied to operational milestones, and benefits from a growing, compliant, revenue-generating client across deposits, credit, and potentially real estate lending over time.
1
Prove the Model
Demonstrate financial discipline and consistent outcomes at the first location.
2
Scale With Confidence
Expand with the evidence that comes from demonstrated performance — not projections alone.
3
Build Together
Grow the relationship across deposits, credit, and real estate lending as milestones are achieved.
Gino Cruse, Founder and Executive Director New Chance New Choice | Phoenix, AZ | EIN: 99-3824890