We’d love to help you

We want to help as many people as possible, but unfortunately, we can’t help everyone. There is a certain criterion that must be met for you stand a better chance at receiving the help we can offer.

No Fear programme

Recovery First Housing CIC will consider applications from people who have/are:

  • Completed a detox and rehabilitation programme or are 28 days abstinent, committed to their recovery.
  • Homeless
  • Primary issues which are substance misuse related
  • Willing to engage with appropriate care plans and support

Recovery First Housing CIC is primarily a supported accommodation service for people in recovery from substance misuse. However, support is offered for other non-housing, addiction-related needs.

Recovery First Housing CIC offers family-style homes in the heart of the community. Our homes in Southend-On-Sea are close to the beach, the town centre, the university and local recovery meetings.

Recovery First Housing CIC aims to give you all the opportunities and tools you need to move on from our service into independent living and become a fully self-supporting member of the community.

According to the NHS if you are suffering from addiction, you are entitled to treatment the same as everybody else. However, we know accessing that treatment can be difficult and removing the substances is only one battle you need to overcome. Resources are low and historically not directed towards addiction services. Addiction has a great cost to society.

The impact of addiction on the NHS, criminal justice and social care systems is great. If we can reduce consumption and promote recovery we can relieve some of the financial burdens and reinvest in strengthening our communities and enhancing peoples lives.

The impact on the individual in relation to harm has a ripple effect on the individuals, families and communities. Addiction can create intergenerational cycles of abuse. At Recovery First Housing CIC, we work with you to break free from the chains of addiction which can not only change your life but the lives of your family too.

Our abstinent based homes alongside housing management support offer a safe, stable and secure environment which is often not experienced if substance abuse is present. We view our family-style homes, living with like-minded people and peer support as the foundations of our programme.

We support access to a recovery community to give you the best chance at maintaining and enjoying long-term recovery. You will have a key worker assigned who will support you emotionally and practically through this process. Through direct work, one to one sessions and group sessions we can address any issues relating to:

  • Financial management
  • Tenancy management
  • Debt management
  • Social inclusion
  • Education
  • Training
  • Employment
  • Managing emotions
  • Boundaries
  • Appropriate behaviour
  • Relapse prevention
  • Building & maintaining relationships

Who else is affected

At Recovery First Housing CIC we support you accessing the opportunities that addiction took from you. We work with you and your family to re-build broken relationships and heal from the scars left from active addiction. Addiction not only impacts you but impacts everyone around you. That’s why at Recovery First Housing we take a whole system approach to your recovery outcomes and support you making amends to those around you. The amends to yourself can often be the most challenging but with our support it won’t be impossible.

It’s common for loved ones of addicts to become frustrated because society believed for many years addiction was a moral issue.

Alongside what is happening to a persons body and mind on a chemical level, a societal one also exists. People with addiction will often act in ways that contribute to social rejection. They will alienate friends and family and isolate themselves.

As the addiction intensifies the need to feed the addiction becomes more dangerous. Finding ways and means to get more can often lead to anti-social behaviour, crime, inappropriate sexual behaviour and so on. Opportunities for change start to diminish, all of which make the substance harder to resist.

Why you could be refused

Recovery First Housing CIC does not have an overall exclusion policy, however, applicants can be refused if their needs cannot be met by the service such as:

  • No housing needs
  • Unable to access benefits
  • Risk is to high to be manged by the service
  • Have high level of need related support with no access to external funding
  • Clients refuse to sign the relevant forms
  • Clients have knowingly not declared or given false information during the assessment process

Our past residents

See what some of our previous residents had to say about our team and the services we provided.

It’s been an incredible experience for me here. From day one, when I was a fearful, timid man, to now, where I have been learning how to alter my life, I have come a long way. I’ve grown as a person as a result of my work with Recovery First Housing. I’m confident in myself and I’m the happiest I’ve been in a long time.

Jonathan, Our past resident

Without a doubt, the most crucial two years of my life has been so much easier with the help of Recovery First Housing CIC. The practitioners and support staff have all been outstanding. I had no idea empathy and understanding could be at such a high level, especially from strangers. They’ve gone from being my guides, to my friends.

Marcus, Our past resident

I went in with no idea what to anticipate, no idea who I’d be with, and no idea where I’d be heading. What I discovered was a network of people who shared the same condition as me – addiction. We learned together, became friends together, and discovered ourselves during our time together, all the while being helped by Recovery First Housing CIC and their programme.

Amy, Our past resident

Contacting Recovery First Housing CIC may have saved both my life and my marriage. I’ll be eternally grateful for the tools and knowledge they’ve given me to help me get on top of my addictions.

Ian, Our past resident


There’s nothing wrong with
reaching out for help

“All we need is somewhere to live, something to do and someone to love”