LIVED EXPERIENCE GUIDES THE WAY
Our story
Who We Are
We understand that people experiencing homelessness, while struggling with addiction, want help but lack opportunities to access help relevent to their challenging circumestances.
Compassionate Addiction Treatment is committed to removing barriers to care and providing wholistic opportunities for recovery from substance use disorders.
Our Approach
Led by people with lived experience
Compassionate Addiction Treatment (CAT) works toward health equity, and strives to provide opportunity to access recovery and supportive services in an innovative, trauma informed environment. Certified Peer Counselors, through their own lived experience, are at the center of all that we do.
An Advisory Board, made up of people who are or have experienced homelessness while searching for opportunity for Recovery from addiction, provide guidance and insight to attain our mission. Recovery Community members’ self-advocacy is encouraged and supported through participation on the Advisory Board.
The team at Compassionate Addiction Treatment is representative of the people we provide services to. Approximately 90% of our team are in recovery, and more than 70% of our team have experienced homelessness. Collectively we represent that we do recover.
— Our Mission
Our mission is to provide compassionate, holistic care to people suffering from substance use disorders in a safe and therapeutic environment. Focused on removing barriers to treatment, people will be empowered to engage in recovery and live life to their fullest potential.
Bringing community connection to support the building of trust, hope and personal empowerment to people experiencing houselessness, combined with addiction, are primary goals of CAT.
— Our Vision
We envision a world in which people experiencing homelessness can work towards their personal goals of housing and healing, free from stigma. In this world we envision, support, compassion, and encouragement from our community as a whole decreases the challenges faced while homeless, allowing people to more rapidly stabalize and have the opportunity to live the life they dream of.
— Our Story
Hallie Burchinal (a co-founder and Executive Director) shares her story of living houseless as a teenager, and experiences that led to the creation of Compassionate Addiction Treatment. Event: march for Humanizing Homeless. April 24, 2021
OUR TEAM:
Hallie Burchinal
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CO-FOUNDER
Hallie is an Substance Use Disorder Professional with a variety of work experiences in inpatient with pregnant and parenting women, outpatient with teens, and working on the streets with people who have recently overdosed. Hallie is passionate about harm reduction, meeting people exactly where they are at, street outreach, and supporting all paths to recovery. As a previously unhoused person, Hallie has a strong understanding of the importance of hope and community, and is committed to the Recovery Community at CAT.
Kel Eddings
OPERATIONS MANAGER, CO-FOUNDER
Kel is a Community Health Worker, and a retired veteran with the Air National Guard. Kel has long had a dream of working with people struggling with homelessness, and has refocused her passion for helping people. Kel began working with parents who suffer from substance use disorders that were working towards family reunification. She then worked at an emergency warming center, providing safe space for our community members who are living houseless. Kel states “I look forward to using my knowledge to improve the lives of others, and having a positive impact on my community.”
Cassie Montgomery
FUND DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT DIRECTOR
Cassie works to develop funding streams, and community engagment to support the mission of Compassionate Addiction Treatment. Cassie has so much compassion and empathey for individuals struggling with untreated trauma. Cassie has worked in a variety of volunteer roles within our school systems and engaged in fundraising to support missions that she holds dear to her heart.
Michael Mainer, MD
MEDICAL DIRECTOR AND MAT CLINIC PROVIDER (VOLUNTEER)
Dr. Mainer has volunteered at Compassionate Addiction Treatment since the winter of 2019. Through his supportive leadership and compassionate care, the Medication Assisted Treatment program is an essential part of the low barrier Recovery programs at CAT.
Michael Lemberger, MD
MAT CLINIC PROVIDER (VOLUNTEER)
Dr. Lemberger was one of the first Suboxone prescribers in Spokane and brings years of experience to our team. Working with Compassionate Addiction Treatment for the past two years, Dr. Lemberger brings knowledge and compassionate care to people with opioid use disorder and supports low barrier care to our community members who are experiencing homelessness.
Stacey Mainer, ARNP
MAT CLINIC PROVIDER (VOLUNTEER)
Stacey has been part of the team at Compassionate Addiction Treatment since early 2020. Stacey’s care for people seeking recovery for opioid use disorder while experiencing homelessness is supportive and thoughtful. Stacey has worked in other impactful programs within the community as well, and is committed to the health and well being of all.
Lenora Hamrick, RN
MAT CLINIC PROGRAM NURSE CARE MANAGER
Lenora works with our volunteer medical providers, providing support, wound care, and care navigation to our Medication Assisted Treatment program participants and Recovery Community members. Lenora has one of the warmest hearts, and deep empathy for people experiencing homelessness and the challenging health concerns that frequently occur.
Rachelle Tafoya, CPC
LEAD CERTIFIED PEER COUNSELOR
Rachelle has a story of recovery that is inspiring and uplifting. She brings this to her work everyday, using her strong communication skills to support our peer counselor team and Recovery Community members. Rachelle collaborates and advocates for others with a high level of professionalism.
Christine Silver, CPC
CERTIFIED PEER COUNSELOR
Christine joined the team at Compassionate Addiction Treatment in the spring of 2020 and helped shape our peer led Recovery Community day program. Christine uses her lived experience of greif, trauma, recovery and healing, to support others on their path to recovery. She fearlessly models what self-advocacy and compassion can look like.
Bobbie Lee Silva, CPC
CERTIFIED PEER COUNSELOR – MAT CLINIC PEER COUNSELOR
Bobbie Lee brings with her an inspiring story of her recovery from trauma, homelessness, and addiction. With a fiercely compassionate heart and commitment to both trauma informed care and harm reduction, Bobbie Lee provides support to everyone she encounters at Compassionate Addiction Treatment.
Lakotah Rangel, CPC
CERTIFIED PEER COUNSELOR – CARE NAVIGATOR
Lakotah is a Certified Peer Counselor as well as a licensed cosmotologist. Helping people feel their best through his joyful personality, as well as his cosmotology skills, Lakotah helps people feel seen, heard and valued with his skills and training. Lakotah currently works with the Hub and Spoke in Spokane, where he wholistically navigates people with opioid use disorder to any services they may need, from clean clothes, a doctor appointment, emergency stabalization or shelter. They may also show up to their next destination with a new hair cut.
Susan Pitts, SUDP
LEAD SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER COUNSELOR
Susan has worked in residential settings for women, supporting recovery and providing trauma informed care. She brings these skills to Compassionate Addiction Treatment and helps create a program that is focused on the Seeking Safety model of treatment. Susan’s committment to our Recovery Community is inspiring to witness.
Michelle Hash, SUDP
SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER COUNSELOR
Hash became a substance use disorder professional after working in a variety of fields. Hash says “…my life path took a beautiful and soul changing shift in my return to school to becoma an addictions counselor”. Hash brings big energy and a passion for creating many doors to recovery through the use of harm reduction.
Estene Lyman, SUDP-T
SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER COUNSELOR TRAINEE
Estene is originally from Spokane, but had relocated to the west side of Washington state. She returned to Spokane to become a team member at Compassionate Addiction Treatment. Estene brings a gentle nature, thoughtful presence, and a knowledge of recovery that touches each person she meets with.
Sandy Munck, CPC
HOUSING AND EMPLOYMENT CASE MANAGER
Foundational Community Supports
Sandy came on board as our Front Desk Manager in the spring of 2020. Now a Certified Peer Counselor, Sand has stretched her skills and is a skilled housing and employment case manager. Through lived experience and her ability to think outside the box to find solutions to challenging circumestances, Sandy brings so much to our Recovery Community members.
Tiffany Tart, CPC
HOUSING AND EMPLOYMENT CASE MANAGER
Foundational Community Supports
Tiffany came to us with years of experience working in housing and employment case management. She then completed training to become a Certified Peer Counselor, to add to her skills. With her solid community connections and abiltiy to create collaborations to facilitate and support people in meeting their housing and employment goals, Tiffany helps create results. Her sense of humor helps make the journey fun.
Rachel Gentry, CPC
FRONT DESK MANAGER
Rachel began working at CAT as a Certified Peer Counselor. She now manages the front desk with calm, grace and humor. Rachel’s skills as a peer counselor help to create a welcoming, trauma informed environment from the time a person enters Compassionate Addiction Treatment, until they leave for the day.
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
TANYA RIORDAN
CHAIR
DEBBIE WALTMAN
VICE-CHAIR
BEN STUCKART
TREASURER
MARY MALONE
SECRETARY
MARGARETIA TAYLOR
DIRECTOR
SARA WELTY
DIRECTOR