Facilitators, Barriers, and Strategies for Optimizing Engagement in Recovery Community Centers among Sexual Minority People in the U.S. Northeast

In the U.S., sexual minority (SM; lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and other non-heterosexual) individuals experience disproportionate substance use disorder (SUD) burden and encounter barriers to affirming treatment and recovery services. Recovery community centers (RCCs) offer peer-led and community-driven programs with prior research suggesting that RCCs may address these gaps, yet SM experiences within RCCs are underexplored. The current study conducted semi-structured, one-on-one interviews with SM adults (n= 21) engaged with RCCs and other recovery services in the U.S. northeast. Interviews were analyzed using iterative, reflexive thematic analysis with double coding and consensus procedures. Three overarching themes characterized SM participants’ barriers and facilitators to RCC engagement and included needs related to: 1) programming structure and accessibility, 2) creating intersectional and safe community spaces, and 3) addressing stigma and bias. Participant-generated recommendations for optimizing recovery engagement included increasing SM specific and intersectional programming; increasing SM and racially diverse staffing with visible cues of inclusion, targeted outreach, and comprehensive training in SM cultural competence; and programming related to harm reduction. Findings indicate that RCCs could potentially strengthen SM engagement when programming is flexible, holistic, and recovery environments are visibly inclusive, intersectional, and non-stigmatizing. Implementation efforts could prioritize diverse staff hiring, cultural competence and harm-reduction training, and community outreach, to build recovery infrastructures that equitably support SM communities. Future research should evaluate the effectiveness of these SM-affirming recovery practices. • Sexual minority adults face unique barriers and facilitators to recovery service use • Recovery community centers strengthen recovery capital for sexual minority adults • Affirming, inclusive environments promote safety, belonging, and recovery • Stigma toward sexual identity and addiction medications reduces recovery engagement