Recovery Housing: Expanding Access and Supporting Choice HHRC

Sober Living Homes (SLH’s) are designed to be a transitional space from residential treatment to mainstream society according to Korcha RA, Polcin DL, Mericle AA, Bond J. VARR’s mission is to set high levels of standards for quality recovery residences in Virginia and accredit residences that meet such rigorous criteria in order to support persons in recovery with information and access to recovery residences bound together by the core principles of standards, ethics, and unity. NARR commits to upholding high operational standards for recovery residences, ensuring safe, healthy, and effective living environments that facilitate personal growth and recovery. Furthermore, recovery houses often offer access to counseling services, job training, and educational opportunities. These services equip residents with the skills needed to reintegrate into society successfully.

2. Addressing potential limitations by expanding the substance use continuum of care

Level I Type P (Peer-run) are democratically run alcohol and illicit substance-free recovery homes. Oxford Houses™ are the most Sober living house widely known example and researched as indicated by their inclusion in SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 2023). Level I recovery residences maintain a recovery-supportive culture and community using house rules and peer accountability. In affirming Ohio’s need for a continuum of treatment and recovery support services, ORH welcomes Level IV residences to be a part of the ORH network by having their organizations listed on our housing locator as Level IV residential treatment, attending our trainings and events, and participating in advocacy efforts. A recovery housing program, at its heart, is intended to provide secure and substance-free environments for those in recovery from substance use disorders. What sets this particular program apart from other types of housing programs is its emphasis on fostering personal growth and sobriety.

Peer-Based Recovery Support

Another type is halfway houses, which typically cater to individuals transitioning from incarceration or inpatient treatment programs. These facilities often come with stricter rules and regulations to help residents adjust to life outside institutional settings. Some recovery homes may also offer specialized services for specific populations, such as veterans or individuals with co-occurring mental health disorders. It is vital that recovery housing programs adhere to solid, ethical, and effective standards and rules centered on a secure, healthy living environment where individuals may obtain access to community resources and recovery support services to help them progress in their recovery. There are several resources to help with your search, including directories of licensed facilities, recommendations from treatment centers, and local recovery community networks.

• The study tested differences between those using and not using recovery housing using Chi-square, Fisher’s exact, and Student’s t tests.
• Most studies recruited participants from post incarceration programs which explains the overrepresentation of Black participants.
• As an OKARR level 3 certified program, OCARTA provides a supportive and stable environment for sustained sobriety with additional resources such as mentoring, PRSS supports, case management, and encouragement for all pathways to recovery.
• Ohio Recovery Housing (ORH) is a state affiliate of the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR).
• Living in this specially catered environment aids the residents in maintaining their sobriety, encourages participation in treatment programs, and provides support network crucial for recovery.
• Level III / Type S (Supervised) delivers weekly, structured programming including peer-based and other recovery support services (e.g. recovery and resiliency groups or person-driven recovery plans) and life skills development programming (e.g., job readiness or budgeting).

What Does it Cost to Live in an Oxford House?

At the practitioner level, one of the most visible proponents of the social model has been the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR). Founded in 2011, NARR is 501-c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding the availability of well-operated, ethical and supportive recovery housing. NARR has established national best practice standards (the NARR Standard) and identified four general types of recovery housing, known as levels of support, which range in the type and intensity of services they provide (see Figure 1; National Association of Recovery Residences, 2011). The NARR Standard 3.0 operationalized the social model across four Domains, 10 Principles, 31 Standards and their individual rules (National Alliance for Recovery Residences, 2018). NARR has also published a compendium to the Standard 3.0, which helps readers understand how the social model recovery is referenced throughout and what is recovery housing provides a practical crosswalk from social model principles to recovery housing practices.

Life Skills Training

• Financial assistance for transitional housing may be available through local nonprofit organizations, government programs, or scholarships provided by the housing facilities themselves.
• Oftentimes, these communities double as peer support networks, and you may even be able to go to group therapy sessions with your housemates.
• This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).
• The Recovery Housing Assistance Program (RHAP) is a state-funded option for individuals wanting to initiate and sustain recovery efforts in a safe, stable living environment.
• You can find accountability and encouragement that can make it easier to stay sober during the tough times.
• The delivery model is group-based, with individual sessions occurring with licensed addiction treatment counselors.

Recovery housing has been shown to accelerate the recovery process faster for Black residents compared to other racial/ethnic groups (35). Regarding retention, a study of Oxford Houses found that Black residents tended to stay longer than others (36), yet a study of recovery houses found they were less likely to be retained at the same rate compared to their non-Black counterparts (37). This may reflect the differential impact of peer run (i.e., Oxford House) versus monitored and supervised homes on Black residents’ retention. Recovery housing refers to a type of residential environment designed to support individuals in their journey to recovery from substance use disorders (SUDs). These homes provide a safe, structured, and substance-free living environment where residents can receive ongoing https://kuchotel.bg/the-heart-of-the-internet-3/ support, develop life skills, and build a foundation for long-term sobriety.

Peers were thought to benefit when they provided help to their others, a dynamic Riessman (1965) referred to as the ‘helper-therapy’ principle. California was distinctive in the confluence of a strong AA grassroots movement as well as state and local policies and practices favorable to the development of state-wide services (Wittman & Polcin, 2014). By the 1970s, social model programs evolved to a full continuum of care, encompassing social detoxification (see O’Briant & Lennard, 1973), neighborhood recovery centers and recovery homes renamed from “12-step” houses. While individual “12-step houses” developed around the country, only California has a documented system of social model recovery services. Despite its consonance with established recovery principles (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2011), social model recovery has historically been undervalued and overlooked. Experiential knowledge is a bedrock of the social model as is the focus on fit between the community at large and the institutional and policy forces that shape substance use behavior.

What are recovery residences?

Although many forms of ongoing support may benefit individuals seeking SUD recovery, one of the most important and widely available is recovery housing. Recovery housing has markedly grown in availability and utilization over the past decade and is now the most widely available form of SUD recovery support infrastructure (12), with 10,000 recovery houses across the United States (13). NARR utilizes evidence-based standards and ethical guidelines to assist dozens of state affiliates in certifying and managing recovery residences across the continuum of care. We partner with state agencies and recovery community organizations to advocate for the adoption of our high-quality housing standards at both state and national levels. The NARR model lays the groundwork for recovery housing policies, practices, and services, offering those in recovery the chance for a sustainable and fulfilling life. The mission of NARR is to support persons in recovery from addiction by improving their access to quality recovery residences through standards, support services, government and private sector collaboration, education, research, and advocacy.

By uniting with NARR, affiliates and providers become part of a national movement dedicated to enhancing the quality and accessibility of recovery housing. Together, we harness our collective strengths to build a more inclusive, supportive, and empowering recovery landscape. As a recovery housing owner or operator, joining the locator is an opportunity to expand your reach, demonstrate your commitment to quality care, and help build a stronger, more supportive recovery community. SAFE Project has developed a first-of-its-kind recovery housing locator with national partners from across the country in order to increase access for those seeking recovery housing and support.