About Us

Who We Are

RCA, Inc. is a non-profit, 501 (c) (3), faith-based organization, founded by concerned, committed and spiritually centered members of metro-Atlanta’s recovery community. Funded in October 2001 by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), a division of the Substance Abuse Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA), a component of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), our primary goal is to collaborate with faith (primarily churches) and community based organizations and develop peer-to-peer support services and programs that help sustain long-term abstinence among members of metro-Atlanta's recovery community. An additional task includes building a network of recovering individuals responsible for disseminating the message that addiction is a physical/psychological disorder, and that science-based, affordable treatment along with peer-led support services, is the method most effective at addressing this ailment.

Recovery Community Services Program (RCSP)

There are 30 federally-funded RCSPs, all responsible for working in collaboration with their respective recovery communities and developing support services that help sustain long-term abstinence among its members. The term “recovery community” is a broad and encompassing term that includes persons having a history of alcohol and drug problems who are in recovery or recovered, those currently in treatment or seeking treatment, as well as their family members, supporters, and allies.

Across the country, creative and innovative programs are being developed to help sustain individuals, family members, and communities recovering from substance related disorders. At RCA, Inc. our primary projects are geared towards helping individuals in recovery become certified as addiction counselors, helping men in recovery develop job training skills through our Recovery @ Work (RAW) program, and linking substance users in need of services to alcohol and drug treatment programs, while at the same time helping them understand the value of recovery.

In addition, we offer technical assistance to faith institutions designed to teach them how to identify, cultivate, and expand resources among their congregations that can be used to develop and implement services for individuals and families in need of access to substance use recovery programs. RCA, Inc. encourages individuals in recovery, their families, supporters and faith institutions to work together to identify, develop, and support needed treatment programs, recovery policies, systems, and services. Link to SAMHSA/CSAT national RCSP initiative.

Support for the Recovery Movement

Both authors Bowser and White, in their excellent analyses of what it means for an addiction treatment program to be 'community based', predicts a future shift from professional to indigenous recovery resources:

"When the current generation of drug treatment programs declines far enough, we may well witness the emergence of another generation of drug treatment initiatives which may not be ready to compromise their missions for government funding.”

(Bowser, B., Drug Treatment Programs and Research: The Challenge of Bi-Directionality. In: Lamb, S. et. al, Eds. Bridging the Gap Between Practice and Research: Forging Partnerships with Community-Based Drug and Alcohol Treatment, 1998. Washington DC: National Academy Press, p 144.)

“New generations of programs will boldly respond to service needs rather than passively accepting the limitations of various funding guidelines. These new programs are arising as indigenous institutions (neighborhood organizations, schools, churches, labor unions, cultural revitalization movements, recovery groups) responding to needs that they see not being addressed by mainstream addiction treatment providers. That new generation could also include existing treatment agencies who move forward by reconnecting with their founding missions."

William White, “A Lost Vision: Addiction Counseling and Community Organization."
Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, Vol. 19(4) 2001. (Article copies are available for a fee from the Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH, email address: getinfo@haworthpress.com  website: www.HaworthPress.com

Our Advisory Council

Our advisory council is responsible for determining which services are essential to the recovery community and which ones will benefit the largest number of members. Each member of the council has a vested interest in our movement. Many themselves are recovering from drug and alcohol addiction, others are supporters, family members, and allies. They each share a common desire to reduce stigma, develop support services, and help make treatment accessible to all who need it. The advisory council members are all volunteers. Anyone interested in becoming a member should contact the RCA, Inc. office.

Staff Members

David L Whiters, LMSW, NCAC II
Executive Director
david@recoveryconsultants.org

Cassandra Collins, BSW, MIT
Associate Director/Fiscal Manager
cassandra@recoveryconsultants.org

Ms. Somjit Ball
Support Services Coordinator
somjit@recoveryconsultants.org

James "Jimi" Allen
Director, Recovery at Work (RAW)
recovery@peacebaptist.com

Joe Cobb
Transitional Housing Facilitator
joe@recoveryconsultants.org

Michael Jones
Outreach Coordinator, STARR Program
michael@recoveryconsultants.org

Mrs. Robby Travis, STARR Program
GPRA/Tracking Coordinator
robby@recoveryconsultants.org

Stephanie Nelson, STARR Program
Outreach Worker
stephanie@recoveryconsultants.org

Michael Brown, STARR Program
Outreach Worker/Housing Facilitator
michaelb@recoveryconsultants.org

Contact Information

Telephone

  404-370-0123

FAX

  404-370-1423

Postal address

  PO Box 55279
  Atlanta, GA 30308
Physical address
  1904 Glenwood Ave., SE
  Atlanta, GA 30316

Email

General Information: info@recoveryconsultants.org
Webmaster: webmaster@recoveryconsultants.org