Lighthouse recovery ecosystem expansion - the lighthouse recovery ecosystem expansion project will expand peer-led recovery support services for adults with substance use and CO-occurring disorders in…

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded Lighthouse Recovery Community Center Inc. $350,000 on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.490).

The award funds the Lighthouse Recovery Ecosystem Expansion Project, which delivers peer-led recovery support services to adults with substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health disorders in rural Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. Over the three-year performance period through September 29, 2029, the project will serve 375 unduplicated adults aged 18 and older, with priority extended to parents involved with child welfare, individuals receiving medications for opioid use disorder, and people requiring ongoing recovery stabilization. Lighthouse will provide peer recovery coaching, peer-led support groups, recovery housing support, workforce development, educational and employment supports, and family services. The intervention is person-centered, trauma-informed, and recovery-oriented, targeting barriers including housing instability, unemployment, transportation challenges, justice involvement, trauma, and chronic health conditions. Through these services, the project addresses social determinants of health to build long-term recovery capital, expand the regional peer workforce, and strengthen cross-sector partnerships among health care, treatment, housing, employment, and community organizations.

Place of performance is Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

Lighthouse recovery ecosystem expansion - the lighthouse recovery ecosystem expansion project will expand peer-led recovery support services for adults with substance use and CO-occurring disorders in rural manitowoc county, wisconsin. Utilizing peer coaching, recovery housing support, family services, and employer engagement, the project addresses social determinants of health to build long-term recovery capital. Over the three-year period, this person-centered initiative will serve 375 unduplicated individuals, expand the regional peer workforce, and fortify cross-sector community partnerships to support long-term wellness. Over the three-year project period, lrcc will serve 375 unduplicated adults and expand the regional peer workforce while strengthening collaboration among health care, treatment, housing, employment, and community partners. Services will be person-centered, trauma-informed, and recovery-oriented, with a focus on reducing barriers to sustained recovery, addressing social determinants of health, and supporting long-term wellness. Project name/geographic area: lighthouse recovery ecosystem expansion project serving manitowoc county, wisconsin, a hrsa designated rural area with a population of 81,600. Population/age/characteristics: 375 unduplicated adults over three years, including adults age 18 and older with substance use disorders or CO-occurring mental disorders who face barriers such as housing instability, unemployment, transportation challenges, justice involvement, trauma, and chronic health conditions. Priority populations include parents involved with child welfare, individuals receiving medications for opioid use disorder, and people needing ongoing recovery stabilization. Strategies/interventions: lrcc will deliver peer recovery support services performed by individuals with lived experience in recovery, recovery coaching, peer support groups, recovery housing, workforce development services, educational and employment supports, tobacco cessation programming, overdose prevention education, naloxone distribution, and referrals to treatment, housing, healthcare, and other community resources. Lrcc will ensure that all services are trauma-informed, recovery-oriented, culturally responsive, and aligned with samhsa's recovery principles and best practices for peer recovery support services and recovery housing. Project goals/objectives: the lighthouse recovery ecosystem expansion project goals and objectives are to: (1) increase access to high-quality peer recovery support services by enrolling 375 unduplicated participants (75 in Y1, 125 in Y2, 175 in Y3), ensuring 100% receive individual recovery plans within 14 days, and providing initial coach outreach within 24 hours for 90% of referrals; (2) strengthen recovery capital and address social determinants of health by ensuring 75% of participants complete a baseline barc-10 within 14 days, screening 100% for tobacco use at intake, and achieving improved barc-10 scores for 70% of participants at 90 days; (3) expand the peer workforce by training 30 individuals and hosting 16 professional development activities annually, while retaining 75% of newly trained peers hired by lrcc within six months; and (4) increase community capacity by hosting 6 annual stigma-reduction events, presenting to 12 businesses annually to onboard 4 new recovery-friendly workplaces each year, and achieving a 75% stakeholder rate reporting reduced stigma.