Recovery Advocates Urge Congress to Invest in Critical
Services and Advance Real Solutions at National Briefing
May 15, 2026 Washington, D.C. — National advocates called on Congress today to safeguard the rights of people with mental health and substance use challenges while protecting and expanding proven recovery-oriented services at a Congressional briefing, hosted by People Organized for Wellness, Empowerment, and Recovery (POWER) Coalition.
The briefing, “Strengthening Mental Health and Substance Use Services Nationwide,” took place this morning at the Rayburn House Office Building and was sponsored by the bipartisan Congressional Addiction Treatment and Recovery Caucus.
The speakers, who directly represented adults and youth with mental health and substance use challenges and their families, said the country is at a critical juncture and offer the attached extensive set of findings and recommendations.
“This administration’s proposals to defund proven harm reduction and housing first initiatives are dangerous. Calls to return to asylums and increase use of forced treatment set us back decades,” said Paolo del Vecchio, POWER Coalition Co-Chair and former director of SAMHSA’s Office of Recovery. Our nation must instead prioritize funding to expand voluntary, community-based services that help people get well and recover.”
“We are also here to call on Congress to defend policies related to promoting equity and restoring SAMHSA staffing levels, maintain separate block grants for mental health and substance use, and reject proposals to reduce SAMHSA funding.
The briefing provided Members of Congress and staff with real-world insight into what is working, where gaps remain, and what federal action is needed to strengthen behavioral health systems nationwide.
“Families supporting loved ones with mental health and substance use challenges depend on federal investments to ensure communities can provide appropriate services and support,” said Lynda Gargan, Executive Director of National Federation of Families. “Without adequate funding, families are being forced into impossible situations, like ER boarding, because community-based services simply do not exist. We urge Congress to restore SAMHSA funding for family support initiatives and protect Medicaid-funded mental health and substance use services from harmful cuts.”
“Advocates asked Congress to strengthen services with a proven track record, including:
- Effective housing first approaches
- Peer-led outreach and crisis services
- Public health approaches to substance use recovery including harm reduction practices
- Recovery-oriented community supports
“Addressing mental health and substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery must be a bipartisan priority. We are thankful Congress took immediate action to protect $2 billion lifesaving services and supports in January, and lawmakers must be prepared to do so again as communities across the country continue to face growing mental health and substance use needs. Federal investments must remain focused on their congressionally intended purpose of delivering lifesaving resources, including healthcare, housing, treatment, recovery supports, and community-based services, directly to the people and communities that rely on them most.”
“Policies that impact the lives of tens of millions of Americans living with mental health and substance use challenges must be based on facts, not fear,” said Luke Sikinyi, Vice President of Public Policy at the Alliance for Rights and Recovery.
Advocates highlighted the ongoing prejudice and discrimination faced by people with mental health and substance use challenges, including harmful myths that they are inherently violent, incapable of making decisions about their own care, or that institutionalization is the only effective response.
“These approaches are grounded in trust and dignity, and they save lives,” said Cherene Caraco, CEO of Promise Resource Network in North Carolina. “We must scale these up to support more people throughout their lives.”
“At a time when communities across the country are working tirelessly to support recovery, Congress must protect and restore SAMHSA and strengthen investment in block grants—they are critical to ensuring communities have the resources needed for prevention, treatment, and recovery,” said Patty McCarthy, CEO of Faces & Voices of Recovery. “We urge lawmakers to prioritize sustained investment in recovery infrastructure and protect the federal leadership that makes this work possible.”
Advocates warned against proposals that are significantly increasing coercion, criminalization, and institutionalization while reducing access for many historically marginalized groups.
“You can’t recover in a system that doesn’t recognize your humanity, said Isaac Lara, Board President of Youth MOVE National. “Queer and trans youth, Black and Brown youth, they deserve peer support that reflects who they are, not just what a diagnosis says about them.”
“Congress must invest in services that meet people where they are and support recovery across the lifespan,” said Arc Telos Saint Amour, POWER Coalition Co-Chair and Executive Director of Youth MOVE National.
The POWER Coalition includes individuals with lived experience, youth, families, and national advocates working to advance recovery and expand access to voluntary, community-based services. See our evolving website here.
See photo below of today’s panel:
