Opioid Crisis Action Network Recovery Fund

The Opioid Crisis Action Network Recovery Fund (OCAN-RF) was founded in January 2018 by Heather and Larry Arata after the overdose death of their 23-year-old son, Brendan. Brendan waged a fierce battle against substance use disorder during the last 22 months of his life. Brendan graduated from Haverford High School in 2013 where he co-hosted a weekly radio show featuring alternative rock. Brendan was a drummer and pianist who pursued his music education at Blue Bond, in Philadelphia, where he was mentored by local rock performers such as John Faye and later was mentored by Artie Amici, a local accomplished drummer. After high school, Brendan took classes at the Community College of Philadelphia and performed with the doom metal band, Manananggal.

OCAN-RF provides hope to those in recovery by supplementing rent, food, clothing and public transportation costs, especially during their first two months of residence in a best practices recovery home. This bridge to sobriety and self-sufficiency prevents homelessness, instills dignity, fights stigma and saves lives. We do not own recovery homes or receive funds from them but partner with those seeking to ensure their residents receive services and support that will increase their chances of successful recoveries. We meet most of our clients when they are in transition from an in-patient treatment center or a prison to residence in one of the homes run by our best practices recovery home partners. This period of transition is a vulnerable time period for people in recovery during which those who do not receive proper support often suffer relapses, many fatal. We conduct a detailed client intake process that is individualized, intentional and humanizing. We visit prospective recovery home partners, meet with owners, managers and residents and ask them to complete surveys about their qualifications, services, house rules and outcomes data.   We stay in touch with our clients and track key outcomes data in order to ascertain what works and what does not for each client. We collaborate with our partners to determine and implement best practices. OCAN-RF has provided creative writing therapy through its Recovery Writers Workshop sessions at our partner recovery homes.  OCAN-RF contracts with other providers of alternative therapy such as yoga, art, music, exercise, meditation, etc. OCAN-RF organizes weekly outreach events at the Upper Darby 69th street terminal and the Chester Transportation Center providing hot meals, clothing, feminine hygiene products, toiletries, wound care products, harm reduction materials like Narcan and fentanyl test strips as well as housing and treatment resource lists.

We pride ourselves in our partnerships and collaboration with community based best practices recovery homes and providers of alternative therapy, outreach and harm reduction services.

In memory of Brendan, We Recover Together!