Lived Experience Advisory Board

I came from a ‘normal’ family with no background in drug addiction or mental health issues so when I started abusing drugs and alcohol at an early age, no one really knew how to help. By 18, I had been through multiple adolescent rehabs, and as a young adult, I fell into a fentanyl addiction and the consequences worsened. I became displaced, homeless, and turned to criminal activities to find a way out. After being faced with a decision to either get sober and live an honest life or go to prison, I found recovery. I didn’t ever see myself leaving the life I had or going more than a day without getting high. Yet, I began living in a way that I never thought was possible, or that I thought I would even want. One of my favorite aspects about my life in recovery is being able to pay it forward. I see myself working with transitional age youth and using my own experiences to show that recovery is possible. I want to help transform the way our current treatment centers operate—because I’ve lived through them, and I know they can be better.

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Throughout my life, I’ve faced deep struggles that left me feeling hopeless, forgotten, and alone. I began abusing substances at the age of 12 with heroin becoming my drug of choice, and as an IV user battling BPD, PTSD, and homelessness, I often felt like there was no way out. I cycled through countless psychiatric and substance abuse centers that failed to address the root causes, focusing only on surface-level symptoms. After multiple overdoses, a moment of compassion from a nurse shifted something within me. Today, I am sober, housed, in school, working in the treatment field, and sponsoring women in recovery. These experiences have shaped who I am and fueled my passion to be part of the change our system desperately needs. Looking forward, my purpose is to help the youth find recovery, just as I did.

My name is Michelle R. Jarvis, I married my husband in 2022 who I met taking mental health groups at Sanctuary Centers. I have reunited with my 22 year old daughter thankful to be modeling mental wellness and recovery from drugs and alcohol.

My road in recovery ❤️‍🩹 is faith in Jesus, singing, sharing my talents, being a member at New Friendship Missionary Baptist ⛪️ Church and helping out others where I worked for 4 years as a Peer Specialist at the Mental Wellness Center. Now, I share my story and experience of being homeless, coming out of addiction, jail and psychiatric facilities to helping others find the quality of life in sobriety and mental wellness. I enjoy doing outreach to those in need or experiencing homelessness. I volunteer for FamiliesACT! a welcome Jail table at the main SB jail supporting visitors with their loved ones incarcerated advocating “Beds Not Cells” I participate in the Voice Hearing Network and Self-help groups. I am certified as a NAMI Peer 2 Peer trainer; in First Aid CPR; experience working with Santa Barbara County of Behavioral Wellness. I have my MediCal State certification as a Peer Support Specialist!

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Todd Johnson is dedicated to supporting vulnerable and unhoused populations, drawing on his diverse background in addiction counseling, psychology, and wellness coaching. Todd has devoted his life to assisting individuals in unpacking the root causes of their trauma and facilitating lasting and transformational change. Currently, Todd is the lead encampment specialist and case worker for Good Samaritan Shelter in Santa Barbara, CA.

I came from a very conservative, sheltered family, but that didn’t keep me from drinking in my adolescence to finally having my first proper “drunk” at the age of seventeen. After that it was off to the races, I didn’t care what the consequences were as long as I could get and stay drunk or high. For ten years I used substances recklessly, leading to me moving twenty-three times in ten years, constant unstable housing, homeless stints, contentious relationships, and inability to hold down a job long-term. My life became glaringly unmanageable–I couldn’t go on like that any longer. I finally entered rehab two years ago and since then have been able to maintain sobriety and stable living. I am now working towards a Masters of Social Work so I can help people in the same way I was helped. Recovery is not a one size fits all, and there currently exist so many barriers to effective treatment that need to be torn down. I’m passionate about sharing my story and meeting people where they’re at, no matter what that means.

Hi, my name is Betty and I’m from Lompoc California. All my life, I struggled to feel accepted and always felt different from my fellows. This feeling of disconnection led me to seek out a way to change how I felt which is when I started using drugs. My drug addiction which began at the age of 13 started a 17 year run of using prescription pills, party drugs, and meth. I ended up homeless, in jail and in multiple lockdown psych units. I also dealt with being in a severe psychosis where I was walking the streets with no shoes on my feet talking to myself. This was the final turning point for me and I was institutionalized for the last time in 2021 where I finally reached my rock bottom and was willing to take the direction that was given to me. I have been in recovery from drugs and alcohol since that day and today my life looks completely different than the way I was previously living. I have a supportive friend group, relationships with my family, and I am an active member of my recovery community. Today my mental health is stable and I have peace, happiness and the connection with others that I was always looking for. Since being in recovery, I have found a passion for helping other individuals who struggle with the same afflictions that I struggled with. Something that I feel will bring me great purpose in life is continuing to reach out to others that have dealt with mental health issues and addiction problems to show them that there is a way out.

Bio Coming Soon