News Release

HHS Awards $11.19 Million in Grants to Promote Recovery from Addictive Disorders

“Community and faith-based groups can provide valuable support to people in recovery and help them remain alcohol and drug free.  These grants will help provide better access to these important services,” Secretary Thompson said.  “President Bush knows that we must do more as a nation to help Americans get treatment for alcohol and drug addiction.  That’s why he has invested significantly in treatment programs and made it a cornerstone of his compassionate agenda.”

The services will be developed and delivered under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Recovery Community Services Program (RCSP). The eight RCSP projects will develop and deliver peer-to-peer recovery support services in community settings.  These services are intended to help prevent relapse, facilitate timely reentry into treatment when relapse occurs, and promote sustained recovery and an enhanced quality of life for participants.

“The Recovery Community Services Program capitalizes on the unique contribution that people in recovery can make to their peers,” said SAMHSA Administrator Charles G. Curie.  “Services provided by peers in recovery – such as providing information and referral; mentoring others in the areas of life skills, education, and employment; and offering emotional support and guidance based on first-hand experience – complement, extend and enhance the formal treatment provided by professionals.”

SAMHSA is funding two types of organizations under its current RCSP.  Five awards are being made to recovery community organizations, which are organizations comprised of and led primarily by people in recovery and their family members.  Three facilitating organizations are also receiving grants.  These will assist recovery groups in forming an independent recovery community organization to provide peer recovery support services, or will assist them in developing another organizational structure that enables recovery community members to provide peer services in an autonomous manner.  The average award is approximately $350,000 per year for each grantee.  Projects can be funded for up to four years if funds are available.

Groups targeted for specific outreach include:  African Americans, Native Americans, ex-offenders, homeless, parents of children at risk for abuse and neglect, people newly in recovery, people with HIV/AIDS, and women.  One of the new grantees is a faith-based group, and the others are community-based groups.

Recovery community groups will engage in the following activities:

• Develop and strengthen collaborative relationships with other area service providers;

• Design and develop innovative, strength-based peer-to-peer recovery support services responsive to needs identified by the recovery community;

• Deliver the peer-driven services;

• Document the service program and evaluate with Government Performance and Results Acts measures; and

• Conduct a process evaluation.

The grantees include:

Recovery Community Organizations

Compass Ventures, Lorrain, OH - $350,000 per year for up to four years, for a total of $1,400,000

Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery, Wethersfield, CT - $350,000 per year for up to four years, for a total of $1,400,000

The Fortune Society, New York, NY - $350,000 per year for up to four years, for a total of $1,400,000

White Bison, Inc., Colorado Springs, CO - $350,000 per year for up to four years, for a total of $1,400,000

Welcome Home Ministries, Oceanside, CA - $347,559 per year for up to four years, for a total of $1,390,236

Facilitating Organizations

Heartland Cares, Paducah, KY - $350,000 per year for up to four years, for a total of $1,400,000

Relief Nursery, Inc., Eugene, OR - $350,000 per year for up to four years, for a total of $1,400,000

Walden House, Inc., San Francisco, CA - $350,000 per year for up to four years, for a total of $1,400,000

SAMHSA, a public health agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the lead federal agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment and mental health services in the United States.

This page was last updated on 12 October, 2004
SAMHSA is An Agency of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services