We exist because clinical treatment — as good as it is — cannot provide a safe home, a reliable ride, a peer who understands, or a path to independence. We provide everything outside the clinic that makes treatment last.
Founder & Executive Director
Board Certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner with over 15 years of clinical experience in behavioral health, mental health, and addiction recovery. Dr. Wainaina founded Hope & Chance after witnessing the same pattern repeat across 15 years of clinical practice: patients who responded well to treatment, but could not hold their recovery together once the session ended because nothing outside the clinic was stable enough to support it.
Guides on recovery housing, peer support, co-occurring disorders, and more.
Dr. Mercy Wainaina began her career as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner with an unwavering commitment to behavioral health — to understanding the complex intersections of mental illness, trauma, and addiction, and to helping individuals navigate these with dignity.
She saw a painful, recurring pattern: patients working hard in treatment, making real progress in the clinical hour — then relapsing because of everything outside it. No stable home to return to. No reliable transportation. No one invested in their success between appointments. The clinical system was doing its job. Everything outside the clinic was failing.
The clinical system was doing its job — but the ecosystem around recovery was broken. People needed housing, transportation, peers who understood, and accountability partners who showed up.
"Recovery doesn't happen in a clinical hour. It happens in the hours in between — where people live, where they sleep, where they struggle and where they find strength."
So she built the ecosystem. Hope and Chance was created to be the wraparound layer that transforms clinical treatment into lasting, sustainable recovery.
Metrics reflect internal program records since April 2023. We report what we measure, and we measure what matters to lasting recovery.
These are not aspirational statements. They are operational standards. Every service we provide, every referral we accept, and every decision we make is measured against them.
Every person who walks through our doors deserves to be seen, heard, and treated with unconditional respect — regardless of their history.
We believe deeply in the transformative power of lived experience. Our RES team members have walked this road — that's what makes their support extraordinary.
Recovery isn't just about sobriety — it's about rebuilding a full, meaningful life. We address housing, community, purpose, and belonging alongside clinical care.
Isolation fuels addiction. Belonging fuels recovery. We build genuine community around every individual we support.
We actively remove barriers — financial, logistical, cultural — so that quality recovery support is accessible to everyone who needs it.
We hold people to their highest potential while meeting them with grace. Structure and compassion aren't opposites — together they build recovery.
From a single clinical insight to a full wraparound ecosystem serving hundreds of individuals across Washington State.
Dr. Wainaina identifies the critical gap between clinical treatment and real-world recovery success while working as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner.
The organization launches with a mission to provide wraparound support — housing, transportation, and peer mentorship — that makes treatment stick.
A formal clinical partnership is established with New Era Mental Health, creating Washington State's most comprehensive integrated recovery ecosystem.
Eight dedicated Recovery Empowerment Specialists, 5,000+ transportation rides, and a 98% treatment retention rate for housed clients.
Interested in learning more about our impact or partnering with us?
Get in TouchLearn about the Recovery Empowerment Specialists and staff who make our program possible.
Whether you're seeking support, making a referral, or exploring partnership opportunities — we'd love to hear from you.
Organizations that refer clients to Hope & Chance, donors who support our work, and families who trust us with their loved ones deserve to know how we operate and what standards we hold ourselves to.
We are a registered Washington State 501(c)(3) nonprofit (UBI 605172002) operating under the oversight of our founding leadership. Our business license is publicly available. Our program outcomes are reported from internal records, not estimates. Every resident in our housing program is actively enrolled in licensed clinical treatment through an approved provider.