Recovery
Safe, inclusive recovery housing is a long-overdue resource in Richmond and all over the country. In some recovery houses, LGBTQIA+ people—especially trans people—have been forced to act “less queer,” present as their assigned gender at birth, or live in isolation from their housemates.
Dandelions are often considered unwanted weeds, which is far from the truth. Society often views people trying to recover from drug or alcohol addiction similarly. The truth is that they are life-saving plants with tons of value. We welcome the most marginalized of those who sincerely want a chance to walk in their truth without drugs and alcohol running their lives.
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We recognize that there are multiple pathways to recovery. Some people choose a primary pathway of recovery, such as a 12-step program. Other people utilize a combination of pathways based on their individual needs. Many of us have utilized non 12-step programs in which we felt safe, such as SMART Recovery, Recovery Dharma, and all-recovery style open meetings. Recovery meetings are a necessary part of our recovery journeys and are mandatory. We have seen success through a combination of personalized meeting plans and other individualized resources.
It is important to engage with all the resources available to you. Although there are some core principles to recovery, everyone’s path is unique. You are encouraged to do what works best for you. We are here to help support you and help guide you.
It is important to note that participants have some autonomy in developing their recovery plan. We do, however, step in when someone has become unable to follow their own recovery plan. This often involves some direct guidance and additions to one’s plan for a period of time, based on our experiences with recovery.
Here you can find a list of current known pathways or programs for recovery. Again, we understand that different things work for different people. We encourage our residents to try out different things and see what works best for them. Most residents end up doing a combination of their favorite types of meetings and recovery support.
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LGBTQIA+ people, especially those who are trans and/or gender non-conforming, can experience harmful acts of homophobia and transphobia in traditional recovery houses, creating an unsafe home environment and impeding recovery. We have seen LGBTQIA+ people left homeless, distraught, and chronically relapsing because they could not access recovery housing where their identities would be valued. This has to end now.
The benefits of living in an LGBTQIA+ recovery house include a sense of community, safety, and empathy that isn’t present in a recovery house with predominantly straight and cisgender residents. LGBTQIA+ people in recovery can relate to each other on many levels, and The Dandelion Hive hopes to foster an atmosphere where all LGBTQIA+ folks seeking recovery can find hope, support, acceptance, and liberation.
Our intake process is simple:
Fill out the Housing Application listed on this page.
The application will either be approved or we will redirect you to someone at another org who can assist you.
If approved, a pre-screening form link will be emailed to you, along with a mental health assessment link. These are to help us understand your current situation, if we are the right fit for you, and what supports you need.
You will either be approved for housing with us or redirected to another org or resource that might be able to better assist you.
You will be sent a copy of our Housing Contract to review. We believe in up front transparency. You will have the opportunity to ask any questions you have about our policies and guidelines.
A move-in date will be set. You will be met at the house on that date where we will review the Housing Contract together, do an evaluation, do a drug screening, get you situated in the house, and set your goals for your first week.