4 Best Kept Secrets About Opening a Sober Living Home in North Dakota

North Dakota needs more sober living homes! Here’s five of the best kept secrets about owning and operating a sober living home in the Peace Garden State.

Secret #1 - The Recovery Housing Assistance Program can help residents pay rent at sober living homes in North Dakota

The Recovery Housing Assistance Program, or RHAP, was created to help residents pay for rent at sober living homes in North Dakota. The program will pay for up to 12 weeks of housing expenses on behalf of the resident to an officially recognized participating provider. In order to become a participating provider, you’ll want to review the provider guidance and complete an application. A set fee schedule determines how much the program will pay for each resident, depending on location of the home.

Secret #2 - There is no certification or licensing required for sober living home operators in North Dakota.

Unlike some states, there are few regulations and restrictions placed on sober living homes in North Dakota. There is no state licensing or certification program, nor are there any restrictions placed on state referrals or state housing funds outside of RHAP. However, cities and counties may have their own group home, boarding home, or other local ordinances that impose additional requirements. You must verify all local regulations with your municipality and consult a qualified local attorney before beginning operations.

Regulations are changing quickly in many states, however, so it’s good practice to monitor upcoming legislation in the state so that you can anticipate changes to regulations well ahead of time. It’s possible that some type of regulations are coming to North Dakota, but they have not yet entered into the formal legislative process. That said, there are no pending pieces of legislation regarding sober living home regulations in North Dakota at this time.

Secret #3 - There is no NARR affiliate in North Dakota, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t an organization representing sober living in the state.

The National Alliance for Recovery Residences or NARR is the largest sober living home advocacy organization in the United States. Many state governments look to NARR’s standards to inform their own policy making regarding sober living and recovery residences. Many states have their own NARR affiliate organizations which oversee sober living homes.

North Dakota does not have a current or emerging NARR affiliate, according to the map on the NARR website.

That said, North Dakota does have a strong sober living home association called the National Sober Living Association or NSLA. This nation-wide organization is based out of Bismarck, North Dakota and has over seventy sober living homes on its membership roster. Whil NSLA isn’t associated with any state-sponsored certification program, it does offer memberships to homes that are willing to abide by its standards and participate in yearly inspections.

Secret #4 - A recent study showed that the stigma around addiction and sober living homes is decreasing in North Dakota.

In a recent study called the North Dakota Stigma Survey (conducted by the UND Center for Rural Health), it was found that overall attitudes towards people with SUD are softening and becoming more evidence-based.

Instead of viewing addiction as a personal failing or “choice,” more respondents in North Dakota are beginning to describe SUD properly - as a “disease.” Only 8% of North Dakotans surveyed felt that housing agencies should be able to discriminate against people in recovery. People in the education field, in particular, were shown to have the “highest support for treatment and recovery services to be located close to their own homes and neighborhoods,” while people in the criminal justice field were the least likely to appreciate these services in their neighborhoods.

What does this mean for North Dakota sober living homes? This data is useful in determining the level of NIMBYism one can expect upon opening a sober living home in North Dakota. It also provides valuable quantitative data about the prevailing attitudes around sober living - which are overwhelmingly positive - should the need to defend the legitimacy of your sober living home in a public forum ever arise.

Other Content for North Dakota Sober Living and Addiction Treatment Center Owners and Operators

How to Get an Addiction Treatment or Behavioral Health Center Licensed in Your State Part 1 - covers North Dakota

List of Addiction Treatment Providers in North Dakota - Behave Bridge

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