California is a great state to open an addiction treatment center, and an even better state to open a sober living home.
On the positive side, the state has a high number of folks in recovery and a very low level of regulation for sober living homes (more on that later), making it an ideal home for your sober living organization.
California does have a few drawbacks as a sober living home state, though. Among them: pending legislation that may (or may not) regulate certain types of sober living homes. It’s always a good idea to join your local state NARR affiliate, in this case CCAPP, or the California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals, to stay on top of legislation.
Read on for more details about what it takes to open a sober living home in California and what the future may hold for Californian sober living home operators.
Your Sober Living Home Probably Won’t Require Licensure in California
First, the good news: your sober living home probably won’t require licensure in California. Like most states, California does not have a program that oversees sober living homes specifically.
That said, you’ll still need to be careful here. Addiction treatment programs are still very much regulated by the state. For this reason, you need to make sure that your sober living home doesn’t offer any services that can be interpreted as addiction treatment services.
Here’s How to Make Sure California Doesn’t Mistake Your Sober Living Home for an Addiction Treatment Center
If you want to make sure your sober living home is exempt from Department of Health Care Services oversight, you need to make sure that you DO NOT provide any of the following things at your sober living home:
24/7 non-medical, residential alcoholism or drug abuse recovery services
Detoxification services
Group sessions
Individual sessions
One-on-one counseling
Educational sessions
Any type of recovery or treatment planning
According to DHCS, “If a sober living facility is providing just one of these services, then it should be classified as a residential program and must obtain a valid license from DHCS.” The website also notes that house meetings to address housekeeping tasks such as chore division and conflict resolution do not automatically count as “group sessions.” For a house meeting to be considered a “group session,” it must focus on addiction problems and recovery strategies specifically.
Likewise, individual meetings between a resident and program staff are not considered “individual sessions” unless the time is spent engaging in some of the hallmarks of formal alcohol and drug counseling, such as identifying SUD-related problems and supporting behavior change around those problems.
California Lawmakers are Somewhat Active in Trying to Pass Legislation to Introduce Sober Living Home Regulations
Although the bill has somewhat dropped off the radar recently, AB 1779, put forth by Senator Tom Daly in 2019, would establish some oversight over sober living homes that welcome court-ordered residents or residents who are covered by public health systems. The bill would also bar any former addiction treatment center owners who lost their licenses from opening sober living homes.
At present, the bill is stuck in committee. It’s unclear whether it will ever become law, or when - but it is something to consider as you are researching your sober living home options.
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