In a powerful demonstration of lived experience driving national change, Save Our Families Founder and President Kristy F. Steele was invited by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to contribute her voice and expertise to two major convenings in 2024 focused on the future of harm reduction, recovery, and family peer support.
Kristy participated in SAMHSA’s June 2024 Summit on Harm Reduction and Recovery and the August 2024 Technical Expert Panel on Family Peer Support, bringing both her professional insight and deeply personal journey to the table. These events brought together technical experts, grassroots leaders, peer specialists, researchers, healthcare providers, and family advocates to co-develop national recommendations and resources.
Through powerful storytelling and expert contributions, Kristy helped amplify the needs and experiences of underrepresented communities—particularly Black, Indigenous, and queer families affected by substance use. Her leadership helped ensure that future federal strategies would center dignity, choice, and community-rooted care.
We’re proud to share the final documents that resulted from these convenings. These resources are essential tools for medical professionals, peer specialists, social workers, public health leaders, educators, and families across the country.
📘 Advancing Partnerships Across Harm Reduction and Recovery
This comprehensive guide explores shared values between harm reduction and recovery movements, provides strategies for building cross-sector partnerships, and offers tangible policy and funding recommendations to ensure no one falls through the cracks of our fragmented care systems.
👉 Read the full report
📗 Family Peer Support Services: Broadening the View
This document challenges traditional models of family support that narrowly focus on parents of minor children. It expands the vision to include siblings, spouses, adult children, and parents of adult children—recognizing the emotional toll, caregiving burdens, and systemic gaps that affect all types of families.
👉 Explore the guide here
These publications are a testament to what’s possible when community-rooted advocates like Kristy are included in the design of national public health solutions.
We encourage everyone—whether you’re a clinician, policymaker, caregiver, or community organizer—to read, share, and use these tools.
Written by : Save Our Families
