Underserved Communities
Recovery support services may not address the needs of individuals from marginalized communities because of barriers to access and the lack of representation of individuals who are Black, Indigenous, Latinx, or AAPI/Asian; women; individuals with sexual and/or gendered differences (e.g., LGBTQIA+); and emerging adults.
KEY:
Justice-Involved Board 
Provider and Payor Board 
Young Adult Board
What strategies can increase representation of people of color, women, and emerging adults¹ within recovery meetings such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)? How can mutual aid support such as AA and Narcotics Anonymous (NA), and peer support be more welcoming for these populations?
What culturally relevant triggers for substance use exist for underserved communities and intersecting identities (e.g., Black & sexual or gendered difference)? How can recovery support services address these triggers?
Are recovery support services that are tailored to a specific community more effective in helping members of that community achieve recovery compared to recovery support services for the general population?
How can recovery programs take into account all facets of individuals’ identities, given that intersectionality affects how people experience these support services and barriers?
How do internal (e.g., mental health symptoms, internalized stigma) and external (e.g., racism, community stigma) barriers to accessing recovery support services differ across age, race, culture, ethnicity, geography?
What strategies increase access to recovery support services for underserved groups (e.g., LGBTQIA+ community, people of color, low-income individuals)? Where, if at all, are these groups getting services? Are providers engaging these populations? What are effective strategies to engage these groups?
What are the barriers for people of color to access and utilize mutual aid support such as AA and NA, and how can recovery support services help overcome these barriers?
What are some strategies to get emerging adults engaged in treatment earlier in their lives using recovery support services? Would it be beneficial?
For individuals from marginalized communities who are incarcerated, what is the role of virtual models of reach-in services for matching them with peer support from a similar background?
What populations are served by different types of recovery housing and how do outcomes differ across housing types and population groups?
How are different populations accessing and paying for recovery housing?
What strategies can increase representation of people of color within recovery housing? How can recovery housing be more welcoming for people of color?
What drives the lack of recovery housing specifically for women, especially housing run by women?
Are emerging adults being incarcerated just because there aren’t supports for them (e.g., no foster parents, nowhere to go)? Are there recovery housing options for them?
¹ Emerging adults refers to youth and young adults between the ages of 16-25