The Metamorphosis of Recovery

By Julia Halprin Jackson

Kathy Córdova stands outside 复苏的咖啡馆 in San José. Photo by Robert Bain.

Kathy Córdova’s office is decorated with images of butterflies. As the executive director of 复苏的咖啡馆 San José这是一个非营利性的康复中心，为那些因成瘾、无家可归和无家可归而受到创伤的人提供服务 面对心理健康的挑战，她每天都能看到转变的力量.

“看着毛毛虫穿过蛹变成蝴蝶的过程 is very similar to recovery,” says Córdova, ’85 社会科学. 

“Something beautiful can come out of darkness. That reminds me of my own story, which 连接着从塔厅到大街上的每一个人. That connectedness makes us responsible for each other. We can learn and grow from each other.”

她的蜕变开始于30多年前，在她完成她的作品后不久 tenure as student body president of San José State. A champion of the Progressive 学生党，Córdova努力团结社会，学术和课外 校园内的圆圈，从墨西哥学生运动Aztlán (MeCHA)和 从LGBTQ+社区到希腊生活和大学校长.

这些机会提供了社区建设和预算的实践经验， 战略规划和专业沟通——以及频繁接触酒精.

“担任学生会主席是一个很好的机会，可以充分体验 spectrum of people,” she says. “And 一个 of the unifying factors among these groups 是酒精.”

酒精成了她很容易的发泄方式，即使是在她休学去工作的时候 community-focused nonprofits and local governments. Not long after she graduated from 菠菜网lol正规平台, she found the resources she needed to get sober. 

她回忆说:“1987年我戒毒的时候没有康复咖啡。. “而 今天，有许多恢复的途径:非世俗的，精神的，医学的，以科学为基础的 and others; the options were much more limited 33 years ago. I connected through a 戒瘾互助会戒酒互助会和戒毒互助会. 那些房间里正在康复的人们一直爱着我，直到我能够爱自己并帮助别人 to heal my brokenness.”

Recovery during a pandemic

Córdova admires portraits of 复苏的咖啡馆 members. Photo by Robert Bain.

在她的职业生涯中，她一直是圣玛丽亚等非营利组织的领导者 城市部，亚裔社区参与，西谷社区服务， Somos Mayfair和Sacred Heart耶稣诞生学校，她认识到一个普遍的真理: Every一个 is recovering from something.

“There are different kinds of trauma in life,” she says. “Some people have experienced 种族创伤，其他人有药物滥用问题，有些人有心理健康问题 还有一些挑战来自家庭暴力. All of us are overcoming some sort of trauma, but transformation is possible.”

当Córdova找到领导康复咖啡馆的机会时，她一直牢记着这一点， 它为寻求帮助的人提供课程、社区、咖啡和免费热餐. 在她被聘用两个月后，COVID-19大流行迫使她关闭了咖啡馆 门. 她意识到，对于那些与毒瘾作斗争的人来说，一个致命的问题是家庭 abuse and homelessness: social isolation. 

“One Bay Area study cited a 42% increase 在大流行最初几个月的酒精消费量中 means that people were suffering,” she says. “Not only that, they were suffering al一个 在家里. 重建与社区的联系非常重要.” 

虽然从2020年3月到2021年6月，会员们不能亲自去咖啡馆， the healing community remained intact. Córdova restructured their food program so members could pick up boxed meals. Volunteers also dropped off fresh food at homeless 营地. 康复支持会议转移到网上，以便成员可以聚集在一起 定期分享故事，保持对他们身心健康的承诺.

当咖啡馆获准于2021年夏季安全重新开放时，Córdova表示，会员 returned, seeking fellowship, on day 一个.

“当我们重新开业时，我们的一个成员含泪走到我面前，听说了 potential threat of the Delta variant,” she says. “She was really afraid that we’re going to have to shut down again. She said, ‘I know I will not survive if I can’t come to a place like this.’ The 复苏的咖啡馆 is a life raft.”

Addressing systemic inequities

大流行为Córdova提供了一个机会，专注于扩大 复苏的咖啡馆 model across the state. Modeled after the original 复苏的咖啡馆 in Seattle, the 在去年之前，圣何塞是该公司在加州唯一的分店. 一定程度上要感谢 在她的努力下，现在吉尔罗伊有康复卡戴珊申请成为非营利组织， 圣克鲁斯和旧金山，并计划在奥克兰海沃德开设更多分支机构 and Orange County. 

康复咖啡馆的会员可以从课程、活动和技能培养研讨会中进行选择 at the downtown location. Photo by Robert Bain.

虽然Córdova认为经济增长是经济复苏计划的重要下一步，但这一举措 扩张在一定程度上受到了有关警察改革的全国性对话的推动 by the 2020 murder of George Floyd. By offering free mental health and recovery services, 像康复咖啡馆这样的地方可以解决社区需求，否则就会被委派 directly to the police.

“我们的很多转介都来自刑事司法系统，无论是来自 Santa Clara County’s reentry program 从 county’s collaborative courts program她说:“这与治疗和恢复性正义有关。. “所有的人 咖啡馆服务的人都经历过某种创伤，通常是种族主义或种族主义者 acts have exacerbated that trauma. That’s why we are hoping to provide more training for our staff and volunteers.”

As a member of the 硅谷 Council for Nonprofits， Córdova参与了他们解决种族平等问题的努力.

“我们在市和县两级都提倡重新分配资金 对行为健康危机的非警察反应，”她补充说. “As a network, we’ve 我们一直在集思广益，想办法利用我们的平台来解决系统性的种族主义问题 影响创伤.”

这些正在进行的举措反映了咖啡馆的使命是包容和恢复 as possible, Córdova says. While membership is free to the public, members are expected to find ways to give back. That can mean accessing barista training at the cafe to 为别人端上咖啡和饭菜，帮忙打扫卫生，领导康复圈 or proposing skill-building workshops. 

也许没有什么比这些证书更能象征这家咖啡馆的持久影响力了 会员在完成为期八周的课程和培训后获得. The certificates 她说，对从未获得过文凭的会员来说，是否特别有意义.

“我们是一个治愈社区，不仅对那些作为会员出现的人来说，对我们的 volunteers and staff,” she says. “There are a lot of things in the world today that 给个人，甚至是全球带来了困难，但我仍然 believe that people can transform their lives.”

Learn more about the 复苏的咖啡馆 San José.