Sara Barkley is a veteran, having served 4 years of active duty in the United States Air Force as a Bioenvironmental Engineering Technician. She is a woman in long term recovery since November 5, 2013, and started working in the recovery field in 2014 as a Recovery Residence Manager at the Women’s Fellowship Living Facilities. In 2015, she played an instrumental role in opening the Fellowship Recovery Community Organization (FRCO), the first Recovery Community Organization (RCO) in Florida, where she assumed the role of Program Director. FRCO strives to end discrimination and remove barriers to recovery through advocacy, education, and recovery support services.
In 2017, Ms. Barkley was promoted to Chief Operating Officer of Fellowship Living Facilities, where she was in charge of operations for both the Men’s and Women’s Living Facilities, housing over 200 participants. Fellowship Living Facilities, is a FARR (Florida Association of Recovery Residences) Certified Recovery Residences that follows best practices in alignment with NARR (National Alliance of Recovery Residence) Standards. Sara assisted FARR in developing strict guidelines for MAT (Medication Assisted Treatment) Housing, which allowed participants with an Opiate Use Disorder (OUD) to live in Recovery Residences while being prescribed MAT Medications.
In 2018, as the opioid epidemic reached catastrophic levels in Florida, Sara helped create the Fellowship Recovery Community Respite, which offers a safe, temporary sober housing environment for those who have had a recurrence of use. Since its inception the Respite has served over 6000 participants, with an 80% success rate. Success rate is measured by participants following their pre-designated discharge plan.
In 2019, Fellowship Recovery Community Organization merged with Fellowship Living Facilities and became a Recovery Community Organization with a Recovery Residence, and a Respite Facility under its umbrella. Ms. Barkley is currently the Chief Operating Officer of FRCO, overseeing a staff of 45 team members, and housing over 250 participants in the recovery residence.
Ms. Barkley is an active member in her local Chamber of Commerce and the Margate Initiative for Community Action & Hope (MICAH). Sara is a member of the Broward Community Response Team, Broward Community Surveillance Team, and the Broward Overdose Fatality Review Committee. Ms. Barkley is a member of the Association of Recovery Community Organizations (ARCO) and was on the ARCO Membership Review Committee for 5 years. Ms. Barkley sits on the Floridians for Recovery (Florida Statewide RCO) Board of Directors and is also a current member of the Project Rebirth Board of Directors.
In 2022, Sara Barkley was named the Broward County Recovery Champion of the Year. She is a Florida State Certified Recovery Peer Specialist, performing volunteer street outreach in the tri-county area. She is an active member in Narcotics Anonymous and regularly participates in H&I.