A longtime Everett nonprofit that helps people recovering from addiction, homelessness, and mental health challenges says it may be forced to cut services without urgent community support.
Everett Recovery Café has launched a fundraiser after losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in government funding over the past two years, leaving the organization facing a $100,000 shortfall in 2026.
“For hundreds of people in Snohomish County, Everett Recovery Café is more than a building — it’s a lifeline,” organizers wrote in the fundraiser.
“It’s a place where people recovering from housing insecurity, addiction, and mental health challenges find safety, connection, and hope when they have nowhere else to turn.”
The nonprofit has operated in Everett for the past decade, offering peer support, recovery groups, meals, transportation vouchers, job training, and community programs for people rebuilding their lives after trauma and addiction.
According to the fundraiser, Everett Recovery Café received more than $1.1 million in government funding in 2023 while serving 792 members.
That funding dropped to about $821,000 in 2025, forcing the organization to reduce staff hours and cut voucher support while demand for services continued to rise, organizers said.
“As we enter 2026, Everett Recovery Café is facing a $100,000 funding gap,” the fundraiser states. “Without community support, we will be forced to reduce our hours and services — meaning fewer meals, fewer peer support groups, and fewer safe days for people relying on us.”
The organization describes itself as “a safe, healing community for individuals in recovery from the trauma of homelessness, addiction, and mental health challenges.” Anyone is welcome to visit the café as a guest, provided they are drug- and alcohol-free while in the space.
“Everett Recovery Café was founded on the belief that every human being is beloved regardless of past trauma, mental and emotional anguish, addictive behaviors, or mistakes made,” the organization says on its website.
The café uses what it calls a “Recovery Oriented System of Care,” a long-term recovery model focused on stability, community, accountability, and ongoing support rather than crisis-only intervention.
“Through radical hospitality, our community provides a powerful antidote to despair, bringing out the very best in every individual,” the organization says.
Part of that support includes hands-on job training programs designed to help members return to the workforce.
Its Barista Training Program teaches members coffee preparation, customer service, communication, and workplace readiness through six- and eight-week courses tailored to people recovering from trauma, substance use, or mental health struggles.
The organization’s Kitchen Training Program offers eight weeks of culinary instruction, food preparation training, and industrial kitchen experience. Participants eventually create and serve full meals for fellow members while building resumes and connecting with staffing agencies.
“Because the culinary industry is always hiring, this training helps participants secure stable employment quickly,” the organization says.
Graduates of both programs receive certificates of completion and career support aimed at helping them secure living-wage jobs.
Organizers are now asking the public to donate or share the fundraiser in hopes of keeping those services available.
“Together, we can ensure recovery support remains available for hundreds of our neighbors who depend on us,” the fundraiser states.
Those interested in supporting Everett Recovery Café can donate via GoFundMe here.
