When the pandemic began to have an effect locally in March, many local 12-step programs no longer had access to church, government or hospital facilities to host meetings due to widespread shutdowns.

Many groups decided to take their meetings to Zoom but others stopped meeting altogether.

According to Paul Fitzsimons, the 12-step model works best when communicating and interacting with one or more members and attending regular weekly meetings.

In May, some churches tried to hold 12-step group meetings outside which only sort of work. Meetings became subject to the weather and members had problems hearing one another due to traffic noise. It was impossible to clearly hear one another share their stories or activities or ask questions.

“That creates a challenge,” said Fitzsimons.

Fitzsimons and his wife decided to drive around to find a meeting space for 12-step groups over the summer. With no end to the pandemic in sight, Fitzsimons wanted to find a place that 12-step gr...