Accountability partners, transportation providers, crisis de-escalators, and peer mentors — RES professionals work alongside individuals in recovery every day, in the community, where life actually happens.
A Recovery Empowerment Specialist — or RES — is a trained peer accountability professional who walks alongside individuals in recovery, day by day and week by week.
Unlike a therapist or a case manager, an RES operates in your world — in the community, at your door, in the car on the way to your appointment. They are not behind a desk. They are with you.
Every RES at Hope & Chance has their own lived experience with recovery. That lived understanding creates a depth of trust, compassion, and credibility that cannot be taught in a classroom.
An RES is not one thing — they are whatever you need them to be on any given day. Here is what that looks like in practice.
Your RES checks in with you regularly — in person, by phone, or both. Together you set goals, track progress, celebrate wins, and address setbacks with honesty and compassion. No judgment. Just accountability.
Your RES works with you to build and maintain a personalized recovery plan. They track where you are, where you are headed, and what needs to change. Recovery is a living process — your RES keeps it moving forward.
Your RES provides rides to treatment appointments, therapy sessions, AA/NA meetings, court dates, the pharmacy, and any other service critical to your recovery. Missing an appointment is never just about a ride — it is a risk to your progress. We remove that risk.
When a crisis hits — emotional, relapse-related, or otherwise — your RES can respond with calm, trained de-escalation. They know how to stabilize a situation, get you safe, and connect you to the next level of care without shame or punishment.
Your RES helps you navigate the systems — housing, benefits, employment, healthcare, food, legal support. They know the landscape and the people. They advocate for you and make sure the right doors get opened at the right time.
Your RES has been where you are. That shared experience creates a bond that clinical relationships often cannot. They mentor through example, through honesty, and through a belief in your capacity to heal that is rooted in their own lived story.
Recovery is not linear. Some days are hard. Your RES calls, visits, and sits with you in those moments — not to fix you, but to remind you that you are not alone, that you are still moving forward, and that someone genuinely cares what happens to you.
Your RES helps you identify triggers, build coping strategies, and develop a relapse prevention plan. When warning signs appear, they help you act early — before a crisis becomes a collapse. Their own experience with relapse makes this guidance real, not theoretical.
30 days sober. A new job. Moving into stable housing. Reconnecting with a child. Your RES marks every milestone with you — because recovery deserves to be celebrated as loudly as it deserves support in the hard moments.
Getting connected with an RES is simple. Support begins quickly and is designed around your life, not a rigid program schedule.
Call or message us. No paperwork, no waitlist, no judgment.
We match you with an RES whose experience aligns with your needs.
Together you create a recovery plan tailored to your goals and schedule.
Your RES shows up consistently — visits, rides, calls, and crisis support.
Milestones are celebrated, setbacks are met with compassion, and recovery keeps moving forward.
Our RES program is led by professionals with deep roots in recovery — combining clinical expertise, lived experience, and a genuine commitment to the people we serve.
Kyambadde Andrew oversees all Recovery Empowerment Specialist activities across the Tacoma area — providing day-to-day leadership, team coordination, and quality assurance for Hope and Chance's Tacoma operations. His cross-cultural competency and deep community connections ensure that individuals in Pierce County receive culturally responsive, community-rooted peer support that meets them exactly where they are.
Your lived experience is exactly what someone else needs right now. We are always looking for compassionate individuals in long-term recovery who want to become Recovery Empowerment Specialists.
Apply to Join Our TeamEverything you need to know about Recovery Empowerment Specialists and how they support your recovery journey. Don't see your question? Contact us directly.
Reach out to be connected with an RES. Our team responds quickly and every conversation is confidential.
An RES provides hands-on, community-based accountability and support. This includes regular check-ins, tracking recovery progress together, transporting clients to appointments and services, de-escalating crises, coordinating access to housing and benefits, peer mentorship, and being a consistent, trusted presence throughout the recovery journey.
A therapist or counselor provides clinical treatment in a scheduled office setting. An RES operates in your daily life — in the community, at your home, in the car. They are not a replacement for clinical care; they are the layer of support that makes clinical care work. They have lived recovery experience, which creates a different kind of trust and connection.
Simply call us at (206) 353-0489, email nemh@neweramentalhealth.com, or use the contact form on our website. We respond quickly, ask a few questions to understand your situation, and match you with an RES. There is no lengthy intake process — we want to get you connected fast.
Hope and Chance is a nonprofit and we work to ensure cost is never a barrier to receiving support. Please contact us directly to discuss your situation and we will work with you to find a solution. Many services are covered through insurance, Medicaid (Apple Health), or program funding.
Yes. Transportation to treatment appointments, therapy, court dates, pharmacies, AA/NA meetings, job interviews, and other recovery-critical destinations is a core part of what an RES provides. Missing an appointment because of a ride should never be the reason recovery stalls.
Absolutely not. Relapse is part of many recovery journeys — it is not a failure and it is not a reason for abandonment. Your RES will help stabilize the situation, connect you to appropriate clinical support, process what happened without shame, and help you recommit to your recovery plan. We do not give up on people.
Yes. RES specialists are trained in crisis de-escalation and can respond when a client is in emotional distress, experiencing a crisis, or showing signs of relapse. They stabilize the situation, stay with the person, and connect them to clinical care when needed. For life-threatening emergencies, always call 911 or 988 first.
That depends on your needs and your recovery plan. Some clients connect daily, others weekly. Your RES will work with you to establish a rhythm that provides structure without becoming overwhelming. As your recovery strengthens, the frequency can flex — more support when you need it, independence as you build it.
Yes. Family members, friends, social workers, treatment providers, probation officers, and others can reach out on someone's behalf. We ask that the individual themselves ultimately be willing to engage — RES support works best when the person wants it. But we are happy to have an initial conversation with anyone who cares about someone in recovery.
Yes — this is a core requirement. Every Recovery Empowerment Specialist at Hope and Chance has their own lived experience in recovery from addiction, mental health challenges, or both. This is not optional. It is the foundation of everything that makes peer support meaningful. When your RES says "I understand" — they mean it.