OUR House Helps Sustain GU’s Collegiate Recovery Community
Just across the street from the Health and Counseling Services lies a house that serves as a safe, sober space for students in recovery.
Our House, under the Office of Health Promotion, is a campus-owned house for students in recovery or who are trying to abstain from addictive behaviors and unhealthy patterns. Its programming is also open to students who are interested in a sober lifestyle or are recovery allies.
Regan Herrington, a graduate student in the clinical mental health counseling program, works with students in the collegiate recovery community as a staff member.
Herrington says the recovery community does not take a fully sober approach, as staff members know that recovery is nonlinear. Rather, they focus on harm reduction and meeting students where they are at in their recovery journeys. “Our main goal [at Our House] is just to provide that safe space for students to go and feel supported in their recovery process,” Herrington says.
The house hosts drop-in hours throughout the week, with on-site staff members like Herrington available for support if needed. Students who complete a quick meeting with Herrington can get key card access to the house for access outside of drop-in and office hours, allowing it to serve as a reliable space for students in recovery to escape to when needed.
Students registered with the recovery community are at the forefront of programming, voting on group activities and weekly community lunches. Members have done activities like candle making and yoga classes to build community.
“One of my goals this year is to connect more with campus partners and be able to tap into that a little bit to get knowledge of Our House and community recovery more broadly widespread on campus,” Herrington says.
Grant Funding
Gonzaga University received a three-year seed grant from the State of Washington that ended in May 2023 to develop a collegiate recovery community. Through using the grant to advance programming like Our House, GU developed the largest community of all grant recipients.
In the beginning, the majority of funding went into providing the necessary furniture and decorations to make the house a place students want to be. Once furnishing was complete, the funding went toward events for members and hosting open houses, where students, faculty and staff can see the house and familiarize themselves with what it has to offer. Funding has also helped send staff members to addiction in higher education conferences and provide certified recovery training.
Though the grant funding has ended, Herrington says they have received the necessary amount of funding to grow and sustain the recovery community.