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. The truth is that they are life-saving plants with tons of value and beautiful flowers. Society often views people trying to recover from drug or alcohol addiction similarly. We welcome the most marginalized of those who sincerely want a chance to walk in their truth without drugs and alcohol running their lives.

  • 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 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. We have listed some of our approaches to recovery, as well as some information about local resources to help you get plugged in.

  • 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. Queer people in traditional recovery houses can experience harmful acts of homophobia and transphobia, 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.