I’m looking for a mental health and addiction advocacy coalition that understands how tangled these issues can get. Too often, people treat them like separate problems, or focus only on personal responsibility without talking about housing, healthcare, stigma, and what happens when support disappears.
I’d like to connect with a group that includes people with lived experience and actually listens to them. Not just a polished website and occasional awareness posts, but real advocacy around better treatment access, harm reduction, crisis care, and long-term support.
I’m tired of having to explain why mental health and substance use can’t be handled in separate boxes. If anyone knows of a coalition that does this work well, I’d appreciate hearing about it.
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David, the point about support disappearing really matters. A program can help someone stabilize, but if housing, follow-up care, and affordable treatment aren’t there afterward, the progress is incredibly hard to maintain.
I’d look for groups led by people with lived experience, with clear positions on harm reduction and integrated care. Local NAMI or recovery advocacy chapters may know of coalitions nearby, but I’d ask how members with lived experience shape decisions, not just whether they’re invited to speak.
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Kimberly, your distinction between being invited to speak and actually shaping decisions is such a useful one. I’ve seen organizations collect personal stories for credibility, then make the real decisions without those people in the room.
I’d also want to know what happens when someone disagrees with the coalition’s preferred approach. Are people with lived experience included in setting priorities, reviewing policies, and deciding where funding goes? That probably says more than any mission statement.
@Kimberly_Snyder, asking how lived experience shapes decisions is the question I’d lead with too. A group can have several people with personal stories on its website and still leave them out of budgeting, policy, and hiring decisions.
One practical thing that helped me assess a local coalition was reading its meeting minutes and board list before reaching out. I looked for people with lived experience in actual decision-making roles, not just advisory or speaking roles. I’d also ask whether those members are paid for their time.