SHARE! Self-Help and Recovery Exchange

To help people in Los Angeles pursue personal growth and change. SHARE! empowers people to change their own lives and provides them a loving, safe, non-judgmental place where they can find community, information and support.

VISION

To catch people falling through the cracks

HISTORY

SHARE! was started by people in recovery from trauma and mental health issues. The idea for SHARE! grew out of their frustrations in attending self-help support groups. They repeatedly encountered operational problems that interfered with the healing process. Under the auspices of Emotional Health Association, a California 501(c)(3) corporation, a group of meeting-goers formed a board and working committees. SHARE! officially opened its doors at an abandoned warehouse with a leaky roof in Venice, CA in 1993.

In 1994, SHARE! became the Los Angeles County self-help clearinghouse-keeping track of all the self-help support groups in Los Angeles and making referrals to them.

SHARE! continued to grow, adding more self-help support groups each year. In March 2005, SHARE! became the first ever peer-run contractor with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health.