Our Recovery Centered Approach

Recovery is often viewed as treatment, sobriety, and mental health services. But in reality, recovery is rooted in hope and the belief and understanding that people can, and do, recover if given the opportunity and support.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) definition of recovery is defined as:

“A process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential."

We know that people who experience homelessness are recovering from not only their past traumas, but the added layer of the trauma of instability and living through unmanageable circumstances. Recovering from homelessness must include a holistic approach that includes addressing the intersections of trauma, poverty, chronic illness, mental health issues and addiction.

Economic Instability as Prices Continued Rise

A person can’t recover from being a low-income senior who has been priced out of housing or from being a chronically ill, single parent whose position was eliminated at work. Each of these instances creates a perfect storm of destabilization that a person experiences, and if they are not robust with social support to aid them during their time of need, a lot of times people are more at risk for mental health struggles, turning to substances to cope, isolation or, in a lot of cases, homelessness. Without a social support system, the risk for these outcomes increases. The destabilization of becoming homeless has ripple effects on every part of a person's life.

Meeting people where they are in a recovery model means in some cases recognizing that people aren’t ready for shelter, they maybe aren’t ready for transitional housing, but they do need other social supports to access safe, local support and resources to meet their particular needs. We help in taking the first steps to navigate our complex community systems to gain services. Our peer approach focuses on relationships and connecting the person in need first and foremost to safety so they can begin their own process of recovery.