Philadelphia resources for people in recovery or addiction: A community-vetted local guide

This article was originally published in Billy Penn.

By Beatrice Forman | Billy Penn

Contributor Kristine Villanueva | Resolve Philly

Photo Credit: Kimberly Paynter | WHYY

Search or filter dozens of options by type of service, location, and more.

The easiest-to-find addiction resources are often the most overwhelmed, leading to long wait times or a reliance on 911, which can turn people away from recovery.

That’s why Billy Penn partnered with Equally Informed Philly and Germantown InfoHub to create this crowdsourced addiction resource guide.

We started the process by asking readers for recommendations — looking for organizations that answer patient questions, follow up after treatment, and go the extra mile to make care accessible. We received dozens of submissions, from nontraditional recovery high schools to city-run bereavement support groups, and everything in between.

The result: Philly’s largest community-driven recovery hub.

The list below contains nearly five dozen substance use disorder service providers, all vetted by Info Hub Captains, a network of well-connected, grassroots community members who work with Equally Informed.

Why does that matter?

Over 1,275 Philadelphians died from overdoses in 2021, a record high. Felt in all corners of the city, Philadelphia’s opioid epidemic cleaves along racial and socioeconomic lines. Overdose deaths for Black and Hispanic Philadelphians continue to rise at disproportionate rates.

Many Philadelphians who died from overdoses sought treatment that never came. New harm reduction and treatment efforts, from Naloxone distribution to recovery houses, are often met with a lack of oversight, funding, and support.

Beginning recovery in these circumstances can be daunting, especially when you’re starting from scratch. How do you determine what’s a “good” resource? And once you think you’ve found one, what if there’s a waiting list? Who and what can turn that waiting period into progress?

Compiling this list unveiled some of the difficulties people seeking recovery can face when they don’t have an entry point.

Treatment options for working parents are few and far between, and there are even fewer multilingual treatment providers. Many organizations likely have waiting lists, but their existence and length aren’t public knowledge.

Perhaps most importantly, determining if a resource works for the community it serves isn’t an exact science. Studies show medication-assisted treatment can improve patient survival and recovery houses can make finding and keeping employment easier, but recovery journeys aren’t statistics. They are nonlinear and sometimes messy and uniquely yours, so the resources in this list that work for one person may not work for another.

Scroll through below and click or tap an entry to see a brief description. Visit this link for a larger version you can filter based on what you’re looking for, from the type of services provided to who they’re provided for.