Recovery Corps Alum Uses his Experience to Start a Recovery Nonprofit

Matthew knows what it’s like to try and try again in a recovery journey. He used this experience to walk alongside his peers during his time as a Recovery Navigator, helping them set goals and navigate systems to access resources. Now, a year after his AmeriCorps service, he’s working on starting a recovery nonprofit organization in Anoka, Minnesota.

Matthew joined Recovery Corps in 2022 because he wanted people who were starting their recovery journeys to have an empathetic voice they could rely on and look to for guidance. Because Recovery Navigators each have their own lived experience with recovery, he saw Recovery Corps as the perfect opportunity to start making an impact.

“It took me a lot of time and a lot of work to find resources, so to have somebody that has the route to get there, it feels less defeating,” he says. “I wonder sometimes where I would be in my personal journey if somebody would have been able to take more time to be a part of my story.”

Matthew served at Minnesota Teen Challenge in Minneapolis, the same facility where he started his recovery. While serving there, he even got to support some peers he knew from his own time at Teen Challenge. Because he could personally relate to his clients, he built trusting relationships and demonstrated that recovery is possible.

“I would ask them, ‘Did you ever think back in the day, when we were sitting in a circle, that I'd be driving you in a treatment van, bringing you to church in the morning?’” Matthew recounts with a smile. “To be that example for these guys, that was a big thing that I wanted getting that position.”

In the year that he served, Matthew saw many people come in and out of Teen Challenge’s doors. However, about ten of them started with him on day one and eventually graduated from their in-patient program. Matthew feels deep gratitude that he played a role in their success stories.

“It's easy to drop the ball when you're by yourself,” he says. “But if it's somebody there helping you through that stuff, you don't feel alone.”

In addition to supporting others as a Recovery Navigator, Matthew also gained some valuable skills himself. He learned how to operate in a professional office setting, maintaining communication, staying up to date with his organization’s calendar, and collaborating with coworkers. All of these skills have been a huge help in his new endeavor: starting a recovery nonprofit!

Matthew’s goal is to open a facility that would offer a variety of recovery resources. Inspired by his Recovery Corps service, peer support is definitely a priority, as well as harm reduction and comprehensive trainings for recovery allies.

Matthew is also grateful for the opportunities he had as a Recovery Navigator to network with tried-and-true recovery professionals who have a wealth of knowledge in the community. While he’s just starting this new chapter, he hopes to become another experienced member of the community himself.

“I would like to be known for the recovery part of things,” he says. “It used to be that when people would hear my name, they’d say, ‘Oh Matt, he's up to no good.’ Now I’m building a new identity in recovery and going down the path of being able to help people build on what they already have.”

Once the new nonprofit is up and running, Matthew also hopes to partner with Recovery Corps himself and host his own Recovery Navigators! Until then, we are so excited to be part of Matthew’s recovery and professional journey. Thank you for your service!

Are you interested in supporting people in recovery? Join Recovery Corps! Learn more and find an opportunity near you at recoverycorps.us.