“Recovery Community Support Programs” were originally funded by the federal government and offered peer-to-peer support in order to assist those in recovery find a place to be assessed and referred to supportive services critical to the sustainment of log-term recovery. Programs became a meeting place were the main goal was to support those in recovery in all their needs to secure continued sobriety. As these programs grew, they began to become indispensable particularly for those coming out of the criminal justice system. Like many new efforts in program methodologies the peer-to-peer efforts failed to gravitate to the Latino/Hispanic addiction treatment efforts. There are many cultural and historical reasons for this, but, despite the barriers, there have been a few communities that have broadened their addiction treatment program offerings to include recovery peer-to-peer efforts. This VLC session will explore the developmental conditions that make these programs possible, the service components of the programs and the linguistic and policy considerations that make, or, will make these programs culturally appropriate.
Funding for this initiative was made possible by grant no. 1H79TI083022 from SAMHSA. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.