The Access to Recovery Program (ATR) is part of a national initiative to increase substance abuse treatment and recovery support services. The State of Washington was awarded a 3-year grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) and King County is among the six counties in the state to receive funding. The King County program model is a collaboration across the community, which will expand access to a comprehensive array of clinical substance abuse treatment and recovery support options for qualifying low income individuals.

Access to Recovery is based on the understanding that there are many pathways to recovery from addiction. The promise of this initiative, founded on a belief in individual choice, is that it ensures the availability of a full range of treatment and service options, including those grounded in one’s chosen faith.

Unlike traditional treatment programs, whose purpose is to help get people off drugs and learn how to make good decisions, ATR strives to go the next step and assist people in becoming more productive members of their families and society, and integrate into the community.

An individual’s treatment and recovery support needs are identified through assessment and preparation of a recovery plan. The recovery plan identifies the services needed to support the client’s recovery. Recovery Support Specialists make referrals for a wide range of services from community and faith-based providers and assist clients with challenges faced in working towards recovery.

Low-income adults who are currently receiving substance abuse treatment and are motivated to make significant life changes may qualify for ATR services.

Individuals (adults and youth) must meet State low-income guidelines and have been actively participating in outpatient treatment for a minimum of 30 days or be transitioning from successful completion of residential treatment into an outpatient program., ATR does not accept self-referrals; qualifying individuals must be referred by their chemical dependency treatment agency or specialty court.

For more information, call 206-443-2830.