NORTH COUNTY CONNECTION

DROP IN CENTER, PEER COUNSELING, CRISIS TELEPHONE LINE: NCC has a drop-in room with information available and clean and sober socialization. The drop-in rooms are open before, during & after meetings. There is a TV/audio and media area to enjoy. Outside we have a park-like setting for thoughtful conversation & meditation. Our phone line is answered during daytime hours and refers callers to local emergency services when it is not staffed. We have nearly 1,000 drop-ins per year, 400 family crisis calls and an additional 1,200 requesting referrals and information. The serene environment inside and outside of the center is a place for renewal for both the recovery community and the homeless. In 2024 NCC secured grant funding to hire recovery navigators and a grant administrator, and initiated a new peer recovery coach training program.

MEETING ROOMS: We maintain 3 meeting rooms, a childcare room, private and conference rooms for peer supportive services and rooms for sober socialization. These rooms are used by local 12-step groups including AA, NA, SAA, OA, DRA, Al-Anon, Alateen, and CoDA. We recently added SMART Recovery meetings for individuals seeking an alternative to 12-step groups. There are over 18 meetings per week, 52 weeks per year, with average monthly meeting attendance of 1,200, or nearly 15,000 per year. More than 300 regular attendees have children under 18, thus reducing incidences of child abuse, as their parents are seeking support for their clean and sober lifestyle. Of the regular meeting attendees only 52 persons per month are mandated to attend meetings under a court order. This shows that our recovery participants are members of the local community who are voluntarily participating in our programs, and are truly dedicated to attaining and preserving their clean and sober lifestyle. We provide a children's playroom to encourage the parents and to provide a safe, fun and healthy family environment for the children, many of whom have experienced a lot of trauma. The facility is also used on holidays for sober events, when our kitchen allows participants to share meals and fellowship. We average 100+ persons for Thanksgiving and 60+ for Christmas. We are open all day on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, when people in recovery are especially vulnerable to relapse. We also host various other potluck meals during the year and have facilitated weddings and celebrations of life events for members. Isolation and loneliness are major predictors of relapse and peer support is the antidote.