Recovery Community Centre Provides Support and Encouragement at London Centre of Hope

A handwritten sign on client Jacklyn Knight’s wall at the Recovery Community Centre (RCC) reads, ‘I am confident, and I am happy.’

The Salvation Army Recovery Community Centre in London brings people who are at their lowest in their battle with addiction and lifts them up in an environment filled with support and positivity.

“I found independence here. When I came here, I was finally able make my own decisions and really strive to be better,” Jacklyn says.

The RCC runs out of The Salvation Army Centre of Hope, an emergency shelter in downtown London.

“Recovery Community Center is a very unique program. Someone who needs extra support can go from withdrawal management and move into the Recovery Community Centre. They can be there for up to four years if they want to recover from addiction,” says Centre of Hope Executive Director Jon DeActis.

More than 80 percent of participants in the Recovery Community Centre are able to stay sober for at least 30 days.

“Most people who leave here don’t go back onto the streets. They don’t go back into the shelter. They’ve got the tools to work with and to help them learn to cope when they are by themselves and on their own,” Jon says.

RCC client Dave Chambers compared his life prior to joining the Recovery Community Centre to that of a merry-go-round, spinning around in circles and not progressing.

“I can honestly say that my experience here at the RCC changed my life and actually saved my life. I was going down a pretty dark road and I was definitely not living my best life. And if it wasn’t for the RCC, I might not be here today,” Dave says.

“I’m trying to work with newcomers to carry the message and be a good human being. The beautiful thing about the RCC is that someone that has no hope, like me, can hear somebody talk and have hope.”