Regulation Updates for NARR Recovery Residences in LA, KY, OR

Louisiana Association of Recovery Residences continues to offer voluntary certification for sober living homes

The Louisiana state government has very little oversight over sober living homes, and that has not changed in recent years. The Louisiana Association of Recovery Residences (LARR) is the NARR affiliate in the state, and they offer a voluntary certification for recovery residences. LARR has very strong language on its website warning sober living home operators to question their reasons for wanting to operate sober living homes in Louisiana.

You can read this language here:

The state has seen a great deal of collateral damage from the opioid crisis, and the state has a large population of SUD patients. Like other marginalized communities, people in recovery are frequently exploited by fraudulent schemes that are only incidentally interested in their wellbeing or recovery. LARR cautions that those seeking certification will struggle to meet the program’s requirements without lived experience in recovery and/or a background in addiction medicine.

While there are no pending regulations that might impact the recovery residence community in Louisiana, NIMBY complaints about sober living homes in residential areas continue to be a problem in the state. In Lafayette, the government has begun to require sober living homes to submit information about operators and residences to the Community Development and Planning Department, but there’s no other requirements currently being placed on sober living homes in Louisiana.

For more on behavioral health business strategy and management in Louisiana, see:

Why Louisiana is a Great State for Opening a Sober Living Home

Medicaid Peer Support Services for Recovery Housing: Complete State-by-State Guide

Kentucky’s KYARR NARR affiliate negotiating three different proposed pieces of regulation for sober living homes

Kentucky is in the process of expanding regulations for sober living homes. Three recent pieces of legislation have passed the Kentucky House of Representatives and have been signed by the Governor into law: HB248, HB462, and the Somerset Resolution.

HB248 established a certification requirement for sober living homes in Kentucky. According to this bill, homes can seek certification with the Kentucky Recovery Housing Network, Oxford House, Inc, or “any other organization that develops and administers professional certification programs […] that have been recognized and approved by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.”

HB462 adds additional terms to the certification requirements for sober living homes. It says that homes that provide clinical services on-site or access to off-site services may postpone certification until December 2024.

Finally, Kentucky also recently passed The Somerset Resolution, which is designed to impede sober living home operators from actively recruiting sober living home residents from out-of-state and signing them up for Medicaid benefits inside Kentucky. This has been an ongoing problem in the state.

In Kentucky, the NARR affiliate is the Kentucky Alliance of Recovery Residences (KYARR). Kentucky’s recovery housing certification landscape also includes a state government program within the Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities.

For more on sober living and addiction treatment center management in Kentucky, see:

How to Open a Sober Living Home in Kentucky

It’s Easy to Open an Addiction Treatment Center in Kentucky. Here’s How To Get It Done.

Oregon’s MHACBO NARR affiliate may see changes to regulations in the state stemming from a recent sober living home controversy

Unlike other states, Oregon is not a big “sober living home state.” It has some recovery residences, but over the years, Oregon has had very few out-of-state investors opening questionable sober living homes and sparking scandals and NIMBY complaints. However, Oregon is likely to see increased regulation in the near future for sober living homes, especially due to a recurring local news story in 2024 about a sober living home organization called Wiicare. Oregon recovery organizations and Wiicare neighbors went public with accusations that Wiicare, a small addiction recovery business run by an out-of-state investor, was exploiting residents in the Portland area. It’s unclear whether these accusations were founded, but it sparked a debate about regulations for sober living homes in the state.

MHACBO is the NARR affiliate in Oregon responsible for voluntary certifications for sober living homes. Oregon does not require sober living homes to seek certification, although it does require “Community Based Structured Housing” to be certified. While this appears to apply to recovery residences - in fact, sober living homes are explicitly named in the CBSH laws - there is debate about whether or not these laws apply to sober living homes like Wiicare. It’s possible that the controversy is centered around one of the subsections of the law, which say that only CBSHs that serve 2 meals a day to residents are required to seek certification. Most sober living homes do not operate that way, so it’s likely easy to point to that difference to say that a sober living home is exempt.

If you’re in the behavioral health business in Oregon, you may also be interested in these blog posts:

Medicaid Unwinding and State Behavioral Health in Wisconsin, South Carolina, Oregon, Oklahoma, Connecticut, Utah and Iowa

Opening a New Addiction Treatment Center in Oregon? The State Needs You Now More Than Ever.

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