Recovery Cafe executive director Michelle Jones told the Jefferson County Health and Human Relations Commission on May 29 that the peer-run drop-in center in downtown Madison is operating with reduced grant support and is seeking donations and new grant funding to continue services.

The cafe, housed in the basement of the old Eddleston (Evanston) building, serves dinner on every day it is open — Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday — and offers activities including recovery circles, art, games and once-a-month sober socials. “We believe that everybody is recovering from something,” Michelle Jones, executive director of Recovery Cafe, said. She said the cafe helps people with practical needs such as replacing driver's licenses, finding housing and securing bank accounts.

The commission heard concrete numbers and service examples during the presentation: the cafe provided more than 300 meals each month during a recent January–March period, and a previously run Member Financial Assistance (MFA) program gave eligible members up to $500 a month for essentials; that program has been cut after statewide grant reductions. “I've talked to DMHA. They don't know when they'll be getting those [funds] back,” Jones said, referencing state agencies that had provided previous support. She said the group had to sell a van after government funding decreased and now relies heavily on donations and partnerships with local groups, including First Financial bank and the Salvation Army.

Commissioner Dave Bremer and other commissioners suggested county help with publicity and with scanning for possible grant opportunities. Bremer agreed to provide instructions for getting Recovery Cafe events on the county calendar; a staff follow-up item on the commission's action list asks the county to post Recovery Cafe event details and circulate flyers. The commission also noted outreach possibilities such as including Recovery Cafe in county web listings and community event calendars.

Commissioners and members of the cafe discussed barriers clients face after release from incarceration, including an acute housing shortage. “If they have the funding themselves, they'll give them a tent,” Jones said, describing how parole sometimes places people who are homeless without adequate housing options. The cafe also partners with local agencies and programs — including River Valley resources, Jefferson House and Ruth Haven — to try to place clients and to transport people to treatment partners such as Sunrise Recovery.

The commission did not take formal funding action at the meeting. Commissioners recorded follow-up tasks: staff will post Recovery Cafe event information on the county calendar and circulation channels; Commissioner Bremer and county staff will monitor grant opportunities and relay leads to the cafe; and the commission will keep the cafe on its radar for future consideration.

Recovery Cafe representatives said volunteers and donations remain the group's immediate needs; Jones offered to send flyers and contact information to the commission for posting. The cafe's location and contact details are available on its website; the group said it will provide materials for county promotion.