The City Council will consider a request to co-sponsor the Van Ness Recovery House’s 50th Anniversary Carnival Celebration on Saturday, September 30, 2023, at Plummer Park from 11:00 AM to 7:00 pm, in recognition of September as National Recovery Month.
Agenda Item 6.A recommends the approval of the co-sponsorship of the Van Ness Recovery House’s Carnival in celebration of their 50th Anniversary, at Plummer Park’s Fiesta Hall and Great Lawn. If approved, the city would waive any Facility Use Fees, Special Event Permit Fees, Encroachment Permit Fees, and the 3-hour parking limit at the Plummer Park parking lot for event participants, and any other ancillary City permits that may be required for the event (estimated $2,424).
Van Ness Recovery is Celebration 50-Year Anniversary – WEHO TIMESThe City will authorize the use of the City name and logo on invitations, programs, and other collateral materials for the events and direct the Communications Department to utilize all appropriate communication tools to promote the event and the City’s recovery, health, and mental health services in recognition of National Recovery Month including, but not limited to, the City’s website, a press release, and social media tools.
The item authorizes the City Manager or designee to execute documents incident to the co-sponsorship agreements and authorize the Director of Finance & Technology Services to allocate $5,000 from budgeted funds in the Special Council Programs account number 100-1-01-00-531001 for costs associated with the events.
The Van Ness Recovery House is a non-profit organization whose mission is to meet the critical and expanding needs of the LGBTQ+ community for alcohol and drug addiction recovery. The 20-bed residential treatment facility opened in 1973 and was one of the first facilities to welcome people with HIV and AIDS into residential addiction recovery treatment. The Recovery House utilizes the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous, and provides day and residential treatment, sober living, education, prevention, and outreach services in a socially supportive and chemically free environment. Since its inception, the Recovery House has served thousands of individuals struggling with substance related disorders.
On September 30, 2023, the Van Ness Recovery House will be hosting a ‘Carnival’ in Fiesta Hall and the Great Lawn at Plummer Park from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The Carnival is intended to highlight the Van Ness Recovery House’s 50 years of work and service to the community and promote recovery resources. The Carnival is free and open to the
community and will include food, games, and entertainment.
The City of West Hollywood has made it a priority to address recovery services by providing funding for programming at a variety of agencies and by educating the public via community forums, innovative prevention campaigns and a substance abuse services guide. The City contracted with the Van Ness Recovery House from 1992 to 2008 for a variety of different recovery services. Hundreds of West Hollywood community members have received services from the agency and continue to access its programs. The Recovery House has hosted similar events at Fiesta Hall in the past, including a screening of the musical Hairspray, which was a well-attended and successful event. Support of this event is consistent with the City’s current policies and initiatives.
The event organizers plan to have a large turnout of attendees throughout the duration of the event, as the event celebrates the Recovery House’s 50th anniversary year. The event organizers have requested monetary support for the event in the amount of $5,000. This funding will go towards: food; drink, entertainment, tent and table rentals, carnival games, and other activities.
Lives are saved at Van Ness. We are lucky to have access to it.