Raising the rock bottom: nurturing recovery capital growth in southern west virginia. - seed sower, INC., through its recovery community organization the well - the only RCO in southern west…

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded Seed Sower, Inc. $349,646 on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.490) to expand peer recovery support services across a ten-county rural Appalachian region in Southern West Virginia.

Through its recovery community organization The Well, Seed Sower will operate a mobile recovery team to connect adults in recovery from substance use disorder and co-occurring mental health disorders to treatment, housing, and employment services while strengthening the peer workforce delivering recovery support. The project targets the primary catchment area of Raleigh, Fayette, and Greenbrier Counties, with secondary coverage in Summers, Nicholas, Wyoming, McDowell, Boone, Mercer, and Monroe Counties—nine of which are federally designated rural and all ten designated mental health professional shortage areas. The service population, spanning an estimated 300,000 across the full region, will include adults age 18 and older with substance use disorders frequently involving opioids and stimulants, many with co-occurring mental health conditions, trauma histories, and justice involvement.

Over the three-year period of performance ending September 29, 2029, the project will serve 315 unduplicated adults: 75 in year one, 100 in year two, and 140 in year three. Performance occurs in Beckley, West Virginia.

Raising the rock bottom: nurturing recovery capital growth in southern west virginia. - seed sower, INC., through its recovery community organization the well - the only RCO in southern west virginia - will expand peer recovery support services across a ten-county rural appalachian region bearing the highest overdose burden in the nation. The project meets people where they live through a mobile recovery team, connects them to treatment, housing, and employment, and strengthens the peer workforce that delivers recovery support. Over three years IT will serve 315 adults in recovery from substance use and CO-occurring disorders, building an ecosystem in which people can not only stop using but thrive as healthy, employed, contributing members of their communities. Geographic area served. Primary catchment: raleigh, fayette, and greenbrier counties, west virginia. Secondary catchment: summers, nicholas, wyoming, mcdowell, boone, mercer, and monroe counties. Nine of these ten counties are federally designated rural, and all ten are designated mental health health professional shortage areas. Population size and number served. The primary catchment population is approximately 148,000; the full ten-county service area exceeds 300,000. The project will serve 315 unduplicated adults with award funds over the project period - 75 in year 1, 100 in year 2, and 140 in year 3. Age range and distribution. Adults age 18 and older; the catchment's median age ranges from 42 to 47. The population served skews working-age, with participation across the adult lifespan. Clinical characteristics. Adults with substance use disorder (SUD) and CO-occurring substance use and mental disorders (COD), frequently involving opioids and stimulants, CO-occurring mental health conditions, and histories of trauma. Many are justice-involved; a meaningful share are veterans. Service needs include peer recovery support, recovery housing, treatment linkage, transportation, and employment and educational supports. Strategies and interventions. Evidence-based and evidence-informed practices: peer recovery support services (PRSS); recovery capital (REC-cap) assessment and planning via the rcms platform; the recovery community organization model; and peer-run recovery housing. Delivery centers on a mobile recovery team conducting outreach and POP-up events across rural counties, on-site PRSS at justice and community partner sites, warm-handoff referral partnerships, and an embedded, IRB-approved study of peer-workforce effectiveness that strengthens the workforce through gold-standard science. Project goals. (1) increase access to peer recovery support through mobile and partner-based delivery; (2) strengthen the peer workforce and generate evidence on what makes IT effective; (3) increase access to and utilization of trauma-informed, evidence-based recovery support services and referrals; and (4) deepen cross-sector partnerships that reduce stigma and connect people to care across the recovery continuum. Measurable objectives (aligned to samhsa strategic priorities). Enroll 315 unduplicated participants over three years; achieve 80%+ six-month follow-up; support 50%+ of participants to sustain recovery on gpra/noms measures (abstinence, housing stability, employment/education, reduced justice involvement, social connectedness); train 30+ recovery coaches; and connect participants to employment through recovery-ready workplace partnerships. These objectives advance samhsa's priorities of long-term recovery and sobriety, a strengthened behavioral-health workforce, gold-standard science and data, and improved access to care - consistent with the make america healthy again initiative.