Chicago Recovery Alliance

What Chicago Recovery Alliance does

Chicago Recovery Alliance (CRA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit harm reduction organization founded in 1992 in Chicago, Illinois. It serves people who use drugs and individuals affected by HIV, with secondary programs for individuals recently released from incarceration and young people using drugs. The organization operates a service portfolio anchored by naloxone distribution, syringe exchange, overdose prevention training, harm reduction counseling, HIV and hepatitis testing, and treatment referral coordination (TORES). Service delivery relies on a physical distribution network: silver mobile outreach vans operating seven days per week across approximately 14 scheduled Chicago neighborhood stops (spanning the South and West sides plus Cicero and Harvey), supplemented by drop-in centers at 3110 West Taylor Street and 1114 West 63rd Street. Notable technical assets include the Alliance for Collaborative Drug Checking — Real Time (ACDC-RT) program, one of the first real-time triangulated spectrometer drug checking projects in the United States, and a published library of harm reduction educational resources (Chemsex Toolkit, Safer Injection Guide, Abscess Treatment Guide).

CRA is led by Executive Director John Werning (appointed March 2022) following the death of founding director Dan Bigg in August 2018. The organization has 11-50 employees, serves over 15,000 people annually (2018 metrics included 4.15 million syringes distributed, 25,569 naloxone kits, and 1,987 documented overdose reversals). Revenue derives entirely from government grants — Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Behavioral Health & Recovery, Illinois Department of Public Health, and the Chicago Department of Public Health — plus individual donations and foundation support (Comer Family Foundation, Aids United). All services are provided free of charge to participants. On August 15, 2025, CRA announced staff and service reductions due to budgetary constraints and a 'tenuous funding landscape,' and has subsequently suspended weekend operations as of September 2025. The organization has continued to pursue new programmatic partnerships, including a June 2026 coordinated overdose prevention campaign on Chicago's South Side with TASC and CDPH.

Name

Chicago Recovery Alliance

Legal name

Chicago Recovery Alliance

Website

https://anypositivechange.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chicago Recovery Alliance is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit harm reduction organization founded in 1992 that provides free naloxone, syringe exchange, drug checking, counseling, and outreach to over 15,000 people who use drugs annually across Chicago's South and West sides via mobile vans and drop-in centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Harm Reduction Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (62142), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Substance Use Recovery & Harm Reduction Support Services (BPAGAEAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Substance Use Disorder Prevention & Recovery Services (BPAGACAE), Peer Support, Recovery Coaching & Sober Living Services (HLAFACAN), Outpatient Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Treatment Programs (HLAFABAD), Outpatient Substance Use Treatment Programs (IOP/PHP/OP) (HLAFACAF)

Keywords

• Harm reduction services
• Syringe exchange program
• Overdose prevention training
• Naloxone distribution
• HIV prevention services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Individual donations from supporters to sustain harm reduction services and programs
2. Government Grants: Funding from Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Behavioral Health & Recovery, Chicago Department of Public Health

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Chicago Recovery Alliance provides free harm reduction services to people who use drugs and individuals affected by HIV in Chicago, including syringe exchange, naloxone distribution, overdose prevention training, drug checking through its ACDC-RT spectrometer program, harm reduction counseling, and treatment referrals. Services are delivered seven days a week via silver mobile outreach vans and fixed drop-in centers across the city's South and West sides.

Product overview

Chicago Recovery Alliance (CRA) operates as a harm reduction organization offering a portfolio of interconnected services centered on reducing drug-related harm in Chicago communities. The core service portfolio includes naloxone distribution with associated overdose prevention training, syringe exchange via mobile outreach vans, harm reduction counseling, and treatment referral services (TORES). Educational resources include downloadable guides on vein care, abscess treatment, and fentanyl testing. A notable innovation is the Alliance for Collaborative Drug Checking—Real Time (ACDC-RT) project, one of the first real-time drug checking initiatives in the country. Services are delivered through a network of fixed drop-in locations and roving silver vans across Chicago neighborhoods, operating seven days per week.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Naloxone Distribution Distribution of naloxone kits to prevent opioid overdoses, provided free of charge to individuals who use drugs and partner agencies.
• Overdose Prevention Training Educator training, individual training, and volunteer training programs for implementing overdose prevention and naloxone programs within agencies and for individuals.
• Harm Reduction Counseling

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,152,227 syringes distributed in 2018
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TASC (Treatment Alternatives for Stronger Communities)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2026Partnership for coordinated overdose prevention campaign on Chicago's South Side launching June 23, 2026. Funded by Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Behavioral Health & Recovery. Initiative will provide overdose prevention education and expand access to naloxone kits and test strips.
• Chicago Department of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2026Partner in the coordinated overdose prevention campaign on Chicago's South Side, providing public health coordination and support.
• Aids UnitedminorOthersFunder and supporter of CRA's harm reduction and HIV prevention work.
• Comer Family FoundationminorOthersFoundation funder supporting CRA's programs and services.
• Healthy ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago Department of Public Health initiative partner for community health programs.
• The Puerto Rico ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the coordinated overdose prevention campaign on Chicago's South Side.
• South Side Heroin/Opioid Task ForceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity task force partner in the coordinated overdose prevention campaign on Chicago's South Side.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Washington Heights CORNER Project: New York City harm reduction organization providing syringe exchange, overdose prevention, and drug checking services in upper Manhattan. Operates a similar drop-in plus outreach model targeting Black and Latino communities affected by drug use.
• Prevention Point Philadelphia: Philadelphia-based harm reduction nonprofit providing syringe exchange, naloxone, drug checking, and case management. Operates a similar street-level outreach and drop-in model to CRA in a comparable large-city urban context.
• Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities (TASC): Illinois-based nonprofit providing behavioral health and justice-involved care coordination. Direct operational partner with CRA on the 2026 South Side overdose prevention campaign and works in adjacent substance use service delivery statewide.
• San Francisco AIDS Foundation: San Francisco-based nonprofit that operates syringe access, naloxone distribution, and harm reduction services for people who use drugs. Highly comparable to CRA in service mix, target population, and community-based delivery model.
• Boston's AHOPE (AIDS Action Committee): Boston's needle exchange and harm reduction program offering syringe access, overdose prevention, and linkage to care. Comparable as a city-level harm reduction nonprofit combining HIV services with drug user health.

Broad incumbents

• Drug Policy Alliance: National advocacy organization promoting drug policy reform and harm reduction. Indirect peer: it shapes the policy environment and funder landscape in which CRA operates, but does not deliver direct services.
• National Harm Reduction Coalition: National umbrella organization building capacity and advocating for harm reduction programs across the U.S. Comparable as a sector leader setting standards and providing training that local programs like CRA implement at the street level.
• AIDS United: National HIV/AIDS organization that has funded and supported CRA's harm reduction and HIV prevention work. Adjacent as a sector intermediary linking local programs like CRA to federal and philanthropic resources.

Others

• New York City Department of Health - NYS Drug User Health Hub: Public-sector drug user health programs that fund and partner with NYC harm reduction providers. Adjacent to CRA as a comparable government partner structure to Chicago Department of Public Health, which co-funds CRA's overdose prevention work.

Regional players

• North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition: Statewide harm reduction network operating syringe exchange, naloxone, and drug checking services across North Carolina. Comparable service model to CRA but operating in a different regional and policy environment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ChiRecoveryAlli
• Facebookfacebook.com/chicagorecoveryalliance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chicago-recovery-alliance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Chicago Recovery Alliance