Community Recovery Capital – Seeing the Forest Through the Trees

According to William White and William Cloud in their book, “Recovery Capital: A Primer for Addictions Professionals,” community recovery capital is a concept that supports the resolution of alcohol and other drug problems by encompassing community attitudes, policies, and resources that promote recovery (White & Cloud, 2008). The concept of recovery capital emerged in the years following the development of theory on the role of social capital in political and economic models. As defined by Robert Putnam, social capital includes features of social organization such as networks, norms, and trust that facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit (Putnam, 2000). Both definitions recognize that community has a role in the wellbeing of its members, social capital, by definition emphasizes the tension of forces that support and erode its formation.

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About Me

William Stauffer, LSW, PMAC, PECS

William Stauffer is the Executive Director of Pennsylvania Recovery Organization Alliance (PRO-A), the statewide recovery community organization of PA. He has run public SUD treatment and recovery community organizations for well over 3 decades and teaches Social Work at Misericordia University in Dallas PA. A person in long term recovery, in 2018, he testified to US Senate Special Committee on Aging on the opioid epidemic and older adults. William is the 2019 recipient of the Vernon Johnson Award Recovery Advocate of the year at the America Honors Recovery dinner. Recently, he served on Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s transition team.