Episode #147: Keeping the Doors Open at Yana ClubEpisode #147: Keeping the Doors Open at Yana Club
Recovery Lab
Conversation focuses on how Yana Club in Jackson, Mississippi is rebuilding after a fire, facing long-standing structural and financial challenges, and creating new ways to sustain the clubhouse. The guests explain why this space matters so much to local recovery and how ongoing membership support could secure its future for the next newcomer.
59:01•1 Jul 2026
Keeping Yana Club Alive: The Beating Heart of Jackson’s Recovery Scene
Episode Overview
- A fire exposed serious issues at Yana Club, from asbestos to unsafe floors and roofs, many of which are not covered by insurance.
- Yana’s traditional income from group rent and memberships barely covers operating costs, leaving no buffer for major repairs.
- A new finance committee is launching a membership drive so people in recovery, including alumni, can give small monthly amounts to stabilise funding.
- The club is seen as a crucial entry point for newcomers and a place where service, sponsorship and social connection keep people sober.
- Future hopes include improved security, accessible facilities and renewed social spaces so Yana feels welcoming, safe and vibrant throughout the day.
“This place is the beating heart of recovery in this city.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? For many in Jackson, Mississippi, that starting point has been the Yana Club, a scruffy, cherished clubhouse that’s been holding recovery meetings for nearly 50 years. On Recovery Lab, hosts Daniel Anderson and David Sugg sit down with Yana Club president Emma Johnson and finance committee members Walter Boone and Verdon Jones to talk frankly about keeping that lifeline alive after a devastating fire.
You’ll hear how a midnight blaze on 27 February shut half the building, exposed asbestos, revealed holes in the floors, dodgy ramps, roof leaks and “patch job on patch job on patch job – by alcoholics,” as they joke.
Emma explains the pressure of leading a tiny non-profit whose meeting rent barely covers the light bill, while Walter and Verdon outline a new finance committee and membership drive aimed at building steady monthly support from the wider recovery community, including people who don’t attend Yana anymore. As Walter puts it, “This place is the beating heart of recovery in this city.” The conversation digs into tradition, anonymity and why asking recovering people for money can feel awkward, yet essential.
They talk about short-term needs like repairs and accessibility, and bigger dreams: safer parking, a meditation garden, more social space so people can linger before and after meetings – where many say they truly got sober. Threaded through the practical talk is a clear message about service. The guests share how their own recovery has deepened through giving time, energy and money to keep the doors open for “the next suffering addict or alcoholic” who walks in from the street.
If Yana-style clubhouses have ever been part of your story, this conversation might leave you asking yourself: what small part could you play in keeping a place like that ready for the next newcomer?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.
Related Episodes
Similar episodes from other shows in the catalogue.