Built by neighbors. Run by graduates. Open to anyone.
First Stop Recovery is a small, neighborhood-rooted nonprofit operating a recovery house in the heart of Kensington. We’ve been doing this work because the people we love needed it — and because nobody else was opening the door wide enough.
From the “Walmart of Heroin” to a capital of healing.
That phrase isn’t ours — it’s what news crews call this neighborhood. We hear it differently. We hear a place full of people the city has written off, and we’re still here, opening doors, every morning.
Our mission is to stand with men and women who are coming off the street, out of treatment, or home from incarceration — with a roof, a meal, peers, and a path to real work. We don’t require sobriety to walk in. We require that you stay.
A Kensington known for getting people home.
We’re working block by block. Every bed we fill, every person who finishes a partner program, every Tuesday-night meeting that runs late — that’s how the story changes.
We don’t talk about “saving” anyone. People save themselves. We just keep the lights on, the door unlocked, and a chair in the kitchen.
Four things we don’t compromise on.
The door stays open.
We don’t turn people away for lack of ID, insurance, sobriety, or savings. Whatever’s on the intake form can be filled out later. Recovery comes first.
Peers come first.
The people who run this house know what it’s like to walk in. Most of our staff and volunteers have done it themselves. That’s not a marketing line — it’s the org chart.
Time is the resident’s.
You stay as long as you need to. We don’t set a clock. Some folks need ninety days; some need a year. The pace is yours.
No saviors, no slogans.
We don’t do “empowerment” or “transformation” talk. We do beds, meals, meetings, and references. The rest happens between the resident and the work.
A small group. Round the clock.
First Stop is run by a handful of people who show up every day. Most have been touched by addiction themselves — as a family member, a graduate, or both.
Alice “Mom”
Director
Everyone calls her Mom. Alice has run the program since her husband Frank passed away. She is here every day.
Frank
Director · In memoriam
Frank served as director and was here round the clock, helping people beat addiction. His work is the foundation we stand on.
Dr. Tony
Weekend support
Dr. Tony covers the weekends. Clinical eye, kitchen-table manner. Residents trust him on day one.
Richard
Peer staff · Graduate
Richard went through the program and stayed. About twenty hours a week, doing the work he once needed somebody to do for him.
Fred
Peer staff · Graduate
Also a graduate. Also sober. Also here twenty hours a week. Fred is who you meet first if you walk in on a Tuesday.
Bonnie
Finance
Bonnie is the financial expert who makes sure we have enough money to keep the organization going. Every donation passes through her hands.
Arlynn
Communications · Vision
Arlynn is our connector and the keeper of the bigger picture. If you’re a partner or a press contact, you’ll hear from her.
“Frank, who recently passed away, was dedicated to helping people get better. He was there round the clock, helping others beat addiction.”
— In loving memory of FrankWe don’t do this alone.
First Stop works with a network of clinical, employer, and re-entry organizations across Philadelphia. Counseling, therapy, and on-site job opportunities come through these relationships.
Clinical care
Counseling and therapy partners for residents who want or need it.
Employer network
On-site and off-site work opportunities for residents ready to build income.
Re-entry & legal
Organizations supporting people returning from incarceration.
Partner with us? Get in touch.
Keep the door open.
Show the world you stand with small nonprofits. Every dollar pays for groceries, utilities, or a bed someone is sleeping in tonight.
Donate via PayPal