By John Baron
The head of an Armley based organisation supporting the recovery of addicts has called for a fairer share of the funding pot in Leeds.
Chris Sylvester is the founder of drug and alcohol recovery group Getting Clean, which offers peer support to people as they overcome their addictions.
Getting Clean takes part in community outreach projects across the city and offers support to break the cycle of crime and homelessness. Attendees take part in environmental projects and peer support programmes.
As well as employing six recovering addicts in its soap manufacturing business, it has helped more than 150 addicts through recovery.
Speaking at a meeting of full council in Leeds Civic Hall yesterday, Mr Sylvester was joined in the deputation by representatives from other lived experience recovery organisations in Leeds.
He said: “Problematic drug use and homelessness are increasing. Around 90 people are bedded down in city centre each night.
“Homelessness is one strand of a wider web of disadvantage, addiction, trauma and mental health. These interconnected issues need to be addressed by lived experience recovery organisations.”
He stressed that treatment and recovery from addiction are very different, with recovery happening over the rest of a person’s life following treatment. He warned that recovery has to sit alongside treatment or people faced the possibility of “falling through the cracks” and relapsing.
He said Leeds treatment services receive a £176m contract over ten years, while the city’s recovery projects survive on small grants of just £150,000 for the next year. He said other cities redirected more money to recovery projects than Leeds does.
Mr Sylvester called on the council to recognise that lived experienced recovery organisations are essential part of the city’s support for addiction and disadvantage, and that more sustainable investment should be put into lived experience recovery organisations.
He also said that addicts themselves should help shape more solutions and systems and called for the council to bring private and public sector together so Leeds earns inclusive recovery city status.
For the council to take Making Every Adult Matter approach, with a single assessment centre.
The matter was referred to the relevant council department for a response.