The REC Center is a Long Beach-based nonprofit that helps connect people to treatment for addiction and other mental health issues while also helping them expunge or reclassify their criminal records.
The obstacles Long Beach resident Lindsay Vose faced on the road to sobriety inspired her to create the nonprofit: a place where she could to assist others struggling with addiction and mental health issues access the resources they need to get their lives back on track.
“I’m sober myself now,” said Vose, recalling the difficult time she had accessing treatment. “[…] It was always such a struggle to try to find resources and treatment providers and things like that.“
While the REC Center does not provide treatment itself, it informs its clients what treatment options are available in their area, which care providers take their insurance, and which ones give scholarships or charge for their services on a sliding scale.
Founded in 2020, the REC Center recently expanded its services and now offers free online expungement clinics where people can learn if any of their criminal records are eligible to be reduced or removed.
“A lot of times people have criminal records—as a result of addiction especially,” Vose said. “And so because of their criminal record, they might have a hard time getting a job or getting housing, things like that.
Job and rental applications often ask applicants if they’ve ever been convicted of a crime, which can keep them from getting employment or a place to live.
“Even though you may have done your time […] it’s something that can definitely follow you and have long lasting effects, economically, socially, all of those ways,” Vose said. “So just trying to help people get past that barrier to get good housing, to get meaningful employment, and not have that be a barrier to access is such a huge thing for so many people.”
According to Vose, the REC Center has assisted approximately 65 people with their criminal records since the start of 2022.
Those who are unable to attend the expungement clinics or don’t want to wait until the next one are welcome to contact the REC Center for individual help.
Vose said that the REC Center often assists people who still have cannabis convictions on their records, despite California making recreational cannabis use legal in 2016.
“It is something that is supposed to be by law allowed in California […],” Vose said. “There are a lot of people that have those convictions from years and years ago that are still on their record and haven’t been reduced. That has come up quite a bit actually.”
According to Vose, many people with criminal records aren’t aware that they’re eligible to have them reclassified or removed. The records are written in legal language that can be hard for people to understand and individuals sometimes aren’t fully aware of what they’ve been charged with, she said.
“Maybe they were charged with a lot of things but only convicted of one thing,” Vose said. “I can try to help them understand what their court docket might say, and help them determine what relief they might be eligible for.”
The REC Center will be holding its next online expungement clinic on April 23 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Those interested in participating can register for the clinic by emailing info@rec-center.org or calling 1-562-268-0999.
To keep up with the REC Center, follow them on Instagram @r.e.c._center or visit their website at rec-center.org.
