About Us

From Support to Solidarity

Since 1997, we’ve offered trauma-informed, recovery-oriented support rooted in lived experience. We honor each person as the expert of their own life and, through radically new perspectives, create spaces for all to explore their unique vision of wellness.

Click here to learn more about SOAR's history.

Mission

To promote individual and community healing by providing services that offer radically new perspectives, respect individual choice, and center the voice of lived experience.

Vision

SOAR envisions a community where:

  • Mental health, substance use, and community-based services are co-created for and by people with lived experience.
  • Community-based services are holistic, inclusive, culturally relevant, and fully voluntary.
  • All people are empowered to define their lived experiences, create their own meaning, and explore their unique vision of wholeness and well-being.
  • Advocacy is a catalyst for social and systemic transformation in mental health services.

We do this by:

  • Meeting people where they are.
  • Promoting harm reduction practices.
  • Uplifting human rights and social justice advocacy.
  • Advancing peer-led alternatives to traditional crisis response.
  • Respecting each person as the expert of their own life.
  • Centering collaboration, compassion, and growth in the services we provide.

Core Values

  • Lived Experience : We believe those who’ve been there should lead the way.
  • Autonomy : We honor self-determination. Services are voluntary, personalized, and guided by each person's goals and voice.
  • Wellness : We provide culturally responsive, trauma-informed support for mind, body, and spirit.
  • Community : We create spaces for belonging, mutual support, and shared growth. We grow and heal through relationships and belonging.
  • Justice : We challenge injustice. We confront systemic barriers and encourage equity in mental health services and beyond.

Meet the Team

SOAR is equipped with a team of trained and compassionate professionals who are prepared to support individuals in need of supportive services, including therapy, collaborative psychiatry, and peer support, while navigating systems of care.

Meet the Board

Jen Koberstein: Board President

David Kondrat, MSW, PhD: Board Member

Chef Dave Heidi: Board Member