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We often treat our street intersections as meeting points, a place to meet a friend before continuing together to a shared destination. We hope to meet you at The Corner with the same goal in mind: to collaborate, walk together, and work together to better support individuals in recovery.

When the road is dark, we rely on the streetlamps and lights above us to help guide the way. The work we do for those in recovery comes with challenges, but when we hear from ATR participants, they light us up. Our ATR participants are resilient; their courage guides us and inspires us.

Many ATR participants enter the program in early recovery. Some utilize medication-assisted treatment (MAT); attend support group meetings like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA); experience recurrences (i.e., relapses); and work with case managers, physicians, counselors, parole officers, and others in the recovery support network. There are others who do all of this and then some. For Filippo, he has been in and out of recovery over the years, following the guidance of those around him to get from one milestone to the next. “Right from the beginning, I just kind of let other people guide the way because my best thinking gets me evicted, homeless, in a jail cell, in a hospital,” he shared. Along the way, one of those guides became ATR Care Coordinator Stephen Steele, whom Filippo calls one of his heroes in recovery.

Recovery is not a linear process for most. Recovery is messy; individuals take two steps forward, one step back, ask for help, ask for forgiveness, and sometimes enter treatment multiple times. Filippo’s journey has not been linear. His family brought him to detox centers on three separate occasions, and he found his way into treatment in 2019 where he enrolled in ATR for the first time. The first time around, Filippo wanted access to the basic needs fund that ATR offers each participant. He used the funds for clothes, a phone bill or two, and a transportation pass. During this time, he said, “money was the motive,” and it led to a recurrence a year later. He reentered treatment, enrolled in ATR for a second time, and began the Paths to Empowerment (P2E) program. Filippo said, “Something inside me told me that that was the right decision for me.”

P2E invigorated Filippo’s spirit for learning, and he was inspired to continue moving forward. He enrolled in the New England Culinary Arts Training (NECAT) program where he was surrounded by supportive staff and likeminded individuals who were all looking to create better lives for themselves. When he graduated from the culinary program, Filippo was honored with the Peer Leadership Award. “I didn’t think I deserved that,” he said. “I always think that I’m the last person in the room; all these lies I tell myself that are ultimately going to lead to my next drink . . . but if all my classmates voted for me, I must have been doing something right.” Today, Filippo works in a kitchen that he said has been the best career choice he could have made. Accessing ATR services allowed him to save money, focus on his recovery and career, and help others in his community, too.

Filippo regularly attends peer group meetings where he said he first received support over 10 years ago. When he came to a meeting inebriated, everyone went to dinner and paid for his meal. He has never forgotten that. “I always make sure to offer that same opportunity to people . . . Being financially stable has allowed me to help those people.” Filippo volunteers his time, offers his friendship, and ultimately wants to help others. He describes feeling lost before he began his recovery journey and enrolled in ATR. “I was a very selfish, self-centered, self-seeking person and that ended up leading me to my self-destruction. I wanted to be a good person; I wanted to help people,” Filippo said, but at the time he didn’t yet believe in recovery. After hitting his “rock bottom,” he said he was ready to make a change.

Filippo has come a long way, but his journey is not over. He said, “There’s not always going to be good days, there’s bad days, too, but I’m ready for that. I’ve been given the tools that I need to get through anything.” Today, Filippo calls his life a blessing.

Last week we were able to welcome Filippo to speak at the ATR Boston Partners Event where he shared his gratitude for ATR, his ATR Care Coordinators, including Stephen Steele, the staff at NECAT, MassHire, P2E facilitators, and others who have supported his journey. It is an honor to be part of an individual’s recovery support system, and we look forward to seeing Filippo change the world one selfless act at a time.

When we have exciting updates about the ATR program, you can find them here. Consider this your one-stop shop for ATR announcements.

ATR Partners Events

In April, ATR hosted another community partners event with our New Bedford partners, funders, and local representatives to celebrate the collaborative effort in the community for individuals in recovery. State Rep. Chris Hendricks joined the event to provide inspiring welcoming remarks to guests. As someone in long-term recovery himself, Hendricks stressed the importance of having a sense of meaning and purpose during early recovery. ATR is designed for individuals in early recovery (between 3 months and 2 years) and has supports in place to ensure each individual finds purpose to continue reaching for their goals.

ATR Project Director, Brita Loftus (left), Rep. Chris Hendricks (middle), and Paths to Empowerment Instructor, Celeste P. (right) at the ATR New Bedford Partners Event.

The AHP Management Team for ATR

Not pictured from the ATR team: Katherine Conforti and Chynere Scott-Dottin

Last week, ATR also welcomed partners, funders, and ATR participants to the ATR Boston Partners Event. We were so glad to see the faces of those who make ATR services possible in Boston and New Bedford. We heard from past ATR participants who shared their positive experiences in the program with their ATR Care Coordinators, and Paths to Empowerment (P2E) facilitators. 

ATR Community Day

During the ATR Boston Partners Event, we honored the work of ATR’s former Project Director Rebecca Starr, for her dedication and years of service to thousands of individuals in recovery. We celebrated everyone in the room and shared a surprise from the City of Boston, proclaiming June 16, 2023, ATR Community Day. The work of ATR is only possible thanks to the community of partners at the local and state levels who advocate for individuals in recovery.

ATR Project Director Brita Loftus and former ATR Project Director Rebecca Starr presenting the ATR Community Day proclamation

Beep beep! ATR has a lot of moving parts and our team oversees the traffic of incoming participants, ready to begin their recovery path. With that, we know there are thousands across the nation who are starting their recovery journeys, too. This Traffic Report is where our communities intersect across the state of Massachusetts and across the country.

ATR Special Projects

In November 2022, AHP was awarded a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Correction and Massachusetts Probation Service to pilot ATR Plus (ATR+), a special initiative that will deliver a structured pathway to employment for individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) who are reentering the community from incarceration. Through a three-step career services model, ATR+ focuses on closing the digital literacy gap and providing formerly incarcerated individuals with the opportunity to build the fundamental job readiness skills needed to thrive in the workforce. ATR Deputy Project Director Kelly Joseph is managing this special project, and our new team member, Chynere Scott-Dottin, is putting it into action.

Read more about Chynere below.

Meet Chynere

Chynere will work directly with ATR+ clients, providing individualized coordination support as well as liaising with referral partners in the cities of Boston, Lowell, and Springfield/Holyoke. Chynere is a former program manager for recovery support service organization Young People in Recovery (YPR). She has been actively serving the recovery community for the last 4 years through her work within Dimock Center’s Acute Treatment Service Facility and YPR. A Framingham State University alum with a bachelor’s degree in criminology and psychology, Chynere has always held a passion for understanding those affected by our criminal justice system and providing them with advocacy.

We are grateful for the opportunity to expand our services to the reentry community and to welcome Chynere to the team. 

We are excited to not only share the progress of the ATR program, but also share this space with partnering organizations that are making an impact on individuals in recovery and spotlight their work. In The Rotary, we will host discussions with other organizations as well as discuss important topics that are affecting our community and our participants. In a rotary, you may find yourself in the midst of chaos and confusion, but The Rotary is where we come together to help one another move in the right direction.

Patricia has been an instrumental asset to the ATR team for the last 6 years, providing one-on-one support to over 3,000 ATR participants, training new ATR Coordinators, and wowing us with her energy and passion. One of our Care Coordination partners, the Institute for Health and Recovery, Inc. (IHR), welcomed Patricia to the team in 2017. She moved to the U.S. from Haiti when she was 16 years old and quickly began her pursuit in the healthcare and human services field. After graduating from Colby Sawyer College with a degree in public health, she worked as a family advocate for teen moms and an emergency medical technician. As an EMT, family advocate, and recent graduate of Laboure College of Healthcare with a nursing degree, Patricia has braided together her skill set, passion, and desire to help others. When asked how her experience has influenced her work as an ATR Coordinator, she said, “Being an advocate then helped me continue to advocate for my clients now. Being an EMT helped me to be more caring— that’s what I do. I care for people.”

As an ATR Coordinator, Patricia works directly with individuals in early recovery from substance use disorders (SUDs) and connects them to resources to support their needs. Her work includes journeying the 6- to 8-month process of the ATR program with each of her participants, motivating them, guiding them as they achieve their recovery goals and set new ones, and making every ATR participant feel seen and heard. “I prioritize everyone. Everyone’s needs are a priority to me. Even if it’s as small as needing a bus pass or needing a license.” Patricia shared that there are some participants she speaks with daily. Every text, email, or call is an opportunity for her to show she cares and to make a difference.

One of her favorite parts of the work as an ATR Coordinator? Attending job readiness or job training graduations. Patricia is part of her participants’ support system, so she loves “seeing the client come in, freshly in recovery, and seeing how they have turned things around for [themselves],” during their graduation celebrations. ATR participants see Patricia as someone who has shown them what they are capable of and what they can accomplish.

When participants, ATR team members, and IHR staff have spoken of Patricia, they have shared gratitude and admiration for her advocacy, compassion, and dedication. One ATR participant said, “When I came to ATR, I met with my coordinator, Patricia, who from the beginning was very welcoming and accepting of my intentions. She only asked one thing from me and that was to be successful. I will be forever grateful to the ATR program and especially Patricia, because without all of you, none of this would have been possible.”

Over the last 6 years, Patricia has watched the ATR program grow and expand, and she stays committed to the individuals she works with every day. Patricia shows each ATR participant that they matter. As she says, “Treat everyone with respect and you are going to get that in return.” Thank you, Patricia, for expressing your passion for helping others through your work with ATR.

There are always training opportunities, webinars, and events to look forward to. Check in here to put your next destination on the calendar!

Looking for Training Opportunities?

FIRST Steps Together

FIRST Steps Together is a home visiting program grant-funded from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health which offers services to support recovery and parenting journeys. There are webinars the fourth Tuesday of every month.

Supporting Parent-Child Relationships through Co-Regulation and Attunement

Date: July 25, 2023

Time: 9:30–11:00 a.m.

Click here for more information or click below to contact Nahia Kassas to register.

Careers of Substance

An initiative of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (DPH/BSAS)

Careers of Substance is a central resource for anyone involved in preventing, intervening in, treating, and supporting recovery from addiction in Massachusetts. Click below to view the Careers of Substance training calendar, share these valuable training opportunities with your team, or subscribe to the newsletter.

AdCare Educational Institute

BeHERE Initiative



Community Health Training Institute