For years, Devyn Haynes’ and Scott Bishop’s lives revolved around drugs, chaos, and survival. But earlier this year, everything changed.

Devyn and Scott lived in Colville’s former homeless encampment off of Louis Perras Rd up until the spring of 2025, and their days were spent “selling drugs, doing drugs, and all those aspects of the drug life,” according to Scott. Then their trailer home was raided and Devyn spent 34 days in jail, where she signed up for drug court and treatment. While she was away, their trailer was burned down. “Our dog died. We lost everything that we had,” said Scott. For him, the event was a breaking point. “After losing everything, I was just kind of fed up with the whole life,” he said. “And so a couple days before [Devyn] got out, I got clean and sober and got enrolled into an IOP.” (IOP stands for Intensive Outpatient Program, a highly structured treatment program that addresses substance use disorder issues and works to prevent relapse.)

Since then, Devyn and Scott’s lives have changed more than they thought possible. Devyn said, “Since getting sober, I’ve accomplished so much more than I ever thought I would. I’ve moved out of the homeless camp, bought a car. I get to see my kids again. And now I’ve been 216 days clean.”

Long-term recovery requires a supportive community

But recovery isn’t just about quitting drugs—it’s about finding new structure, purpose, and a community. That’s where the Recovery Café came in. At first, Devyn and Scott struggled to find a new social circle. “We were around a bunch of people who were still using,” Scott said. “[The Café] was a safe, sober place…we’d do puzzles and you can do art or whatever you want to do, and you have people around you who are actually dedicated to sobriety.”

The Café also provides a judgement-free space to share recovery challenges with people who know what you’ve been through. “It’s a judgment-free zone with like-minded people,” Scott explained. “It doesn’t matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done—as long as you’re doing good now, it’s a safe haven to come and be able to talk about all the stuff that you’ve done and not be judged for it.”

The Cafe’s Recovery Circles have helped the pair open up about their lives and what their hopes are for the future. “Everybody gets a chance to share in here…we can all just be supportive of each other and give feedback on one another’s situations and whatever’s going on,” Scott said. “And it’s not just confined to your problems with drugs, It’s like, what are your goals and what are you doing right now? So it’s a lot more open of a format and a lot nicer to be able to give people feedback—and be able to talk about things that aren’t just drug-related.”

Devyn agreed: “Recovery isn’t just about quitting drugs. It’s about dealing with everything else in life too, and finding that balance so that you can continue in your recovery.”

For Devyn, the Café has offered encouragement and new experiences. “I still don’t necessarily claim myself to be that social, but when it comes to this place, I’m more willing to be social,” she said. “I’ve started doing more things with people that I wouldn’t do before. It’s showing me there are other people that are taking it serious and that it can also still be fun. Like Tray [a Recovery Cafe employee], he’s gone out of his way to set up a karaoke event on weekends so that all of us can be there—and other people who are sober that don’t go to the Café are there, too.”

Scott agreed on the value of karaoke night and sober gatherings: “It’s really like the sober community coming together to do something that you don’t normally find outside of a bar. We do it out in the park, we have a big potluck, the kids come, the kids sing… and it’s just nice to be around like-minded people in a judgment-free area, where we can all just have fun.”

Today, their goals are big and hopeful. They’re working toward marriage, regaining custody of Devyn’s children, securing independent housing, and finding stable employment. Scott is also pursuing something he’s never had before: a driver’s license. “For the first time in years, I’m actually warrant-free,” he said. “Something that wouldn’t have happened without sobriety. I’m working on getting my license, which I’ve never actually had. I’m 36 years old, never had a driver’s license in my life.”

Advice to people in recovery

Their advice to others starting the recovery journey is simple but powerful. “It’s worth it,” Devyn said. “I never thought that I’d get everything back that I had before, but I’ve only been clean for seven months now and I’ve gotten so much more back in my life than I would have ever thought. And I’m just still going up from there. So it’s definitely worth it. It’s hard at first, but you get through it.”

Scott added, “You’ve got to want it for yourself. But when you decide that you want it, it is difficult at first, but it’s worth it 100 percent. You just got to stick with it, it gets better, it gets easier… as long as you’re willing to take those steps every day, your life just starts going up.”

To learn more about the Recovery Café, see our webpage here.