Recovery café, Dove House, Jefferson County, Recovery community, Recover together
Those of us who find a home at Recovery Café are often asked, “What is that place?” And that should be an easy question to answer but it is, in my humble opinion, better experienced than described. With that caveat, I’ll do my best here and then implore you to come experience it for yourself!
Recovery Café is a beautiful, safe, warm, drug-and-alcohol-free community where everyone experiences love, belonging, healing, and the joy of contributing. We hold a broad definition of ‘recovery,’ which is that YOU get to define what recovery means to you and also that we believe everyone is in recovery from something. We use that language intentionally because we feel that it is inclusive of all forms of recovery – whether that’s substance use, mental health issues, homelessness, domestic violence, grief/loss, or any other life challenge. Life is difficult and we all need people who care about us to support us on our journeys.
We believe the mantra of ‘we’re all in recovery from something,’ also helps us to reduce stigma regarding recovery issues. There is so much more that we all have in common than makes us different. We are not here to fix anyone, we’re here to celebrate everyone. We strive to foster a space in which people feel safe enough to be their authentic selves; a space where we can be vulnerable enough to make changes in our lives and in our relationships because we don’t fear judgment.
We have a set of Guiding Principles we follow to create a community in which all are valued. We strive to connect with divine love in ourselves and others, show respect, cultivate compassion, practice forgiveness, encourage growth, and give back. We are human and make mistakes, and this is a place to learn and grow from those.
We invite everyone to come join us for a free meal on Tuesdays – Fridays at 12pm – 2pm to experience this community firsthand and determine if it’s a good fit for you. From there, there are two main ways to get involved: as a Member or as a Volunteer. Members commit to joining a weekly Recovery Circle which is a peer support group to process our weekly recovery successes and challenges. It’s where we become most deeply known and loved by others. Volunteers sign up for regular shifts to serve in our kitchen or as “Café Companions” whose role is to help us uphold our culture of recovery, to greet and welcome newcomers, and most importantly, build healthy relationships with everyone who comes to Recovery Café by listening first and foremost.
It’s our hope that we can all connect and build community here together. We hope to meet yousoon!
Brian RichardsonRecovery Café Program ManagerDove House advocacy Services