Since 2005.
One simple idea.
Open Hands Coventry has been running since 2005. We have developed and sustained our peer-led model without commissioned support funding. The model works because it is built on something real.
Open Hands Coventry is an independent, registered peer-led recovery charity based in Coventry. We have supported men in recovery since 2005, using accommodation as a stable base for sustained personal change.
We are not connected with other organisations using the Open Hands name.
Every resident follows an individual, structured recovery programme shaped around his needs, circumstances, risks, abilities and progress. Support at Open Hands is built on shared experience, daily structure and mutual responsibility. Residents are not managed from a distance or treated as case numbers.
The Helper Principle gives the programme its character: one person in recovery helping another. That is what works. Residents support each other. That peer support, resident to resident, is logged, recognised and treated as the serious part of recovery that it is.
“OHC gave me the support and opportunity I needed to move forward, and I am now able to help others do the same.”
RESIDENT, OHC MOVE-ON PROPERTY
Stopping drinking or using is only the beginning. Staying stopped, and facing what lies beneath the addiction, is often the harder and longer task. Addiction also takes away dignity and self-belief. Rebuilding both takes time and the right environment.
Permanent staff work alongside experienced volunteers and senior residents. Recovery happens through consistent relationships, clear expectations and people who know each resident well.
Registered charity
Open Hands Coventry is a registered charity. Charity No. 1115626.
Our recovery approach
Our approach is grounded in peer support and mutual responsibility. In keeping with a trauma-informed approach, we don’t impose a single method of recovery. Residents choose between Twelve Step mutual-aid meetings, SMART Recovery, or counselling, whichever fits them. No particular religious or spiritual belief is required. Read more about the secular route. Residents must remain abstinent from alcohol and non-prescribed drugs and take prescribed medication as directed.
Testimonials
Residents, past and present, share what OHC meant for their recovery, in their own words.
After many years of struggling with alcohol, I came to Open Hands Coventry for support. OHC helped me rebuild my life in practical as well as personal ways. They negotiated an affordable staged repayment plan with HMRC for a tax debt and loaned me a car so that I could regain my confidence in driving.
That was a few years ago. I now lead an independent life in one of OHC’s move-on properties and volunteer with the charity every week. OHC gave me the support and opportunity I needed to move forward, and I am now able to help others do the same.
Resident, OHC move-on property
I came to Open Hands Coventry after losing almost everything, including contact with my family, because of long-term problems with alcohol and other drugs. With OHC’s help, I found a recovery programme that worked for me.
I now lead an independent life in one of OHC’s move-on properties. I have a job, regular contact with my family and no desire to return to alcohol or other drugs. My life today is very different from the one I had when I first arrived.
Resident, OHC move-on property
Came to OHC after years of abusing booze and other drugs, heavily in debt and suffering from PTSD. After completing my individual recovery programme I found employment and moved into my own place.
I still maintain links with OHC.
D H.
"I joined OHC a few years ago with a drinking problem and subsequent health issues. I'm now clean and sober, and living an independent and dignified life."
PETER B.
"Came to OHC directly from prison five years ago. Completed my recovery programme. Now living independently in a move-on house with the support of OHC."
TERRY
What happens over time
Recovery takes time. We provide the stability for it to happen.
Sustained sobriety
Many residents achieve long-term sobriety, sustained over years rather than just in the short term.
Reduced crisis and relapse
A stable environment with consistent support can help reduce the cycle of crisis and relapse.
Independent living
Residents rebuild the skills and confidence to move on and live independently.
Fewer returns to homelessness
Residents typically stay long enough for real change to take place and leave with somewhere to go.
Want to know more?
Whether you are a potential resident, a professional referrer, or just curious, we are happy to talk.
Ask about a place