The “show me” state is a great place to open a sober living home. Over 15,000 Missourians have fallen victim to fatal overdoses in the last decade. It’s estimated that over 290,000 residents are struggling with Alcohol Use Disorder and at least 56,000 Missourians are abusing prescription opioids or heroin.
The need is there.
In many places in Missouri, there are huge swaths of territory that are not served by sober living facilities, or “recovery residences” as they are sometimes known.
Today, we’ll discuss the pros and cons of choosing Missouri for your sober living home business.
Pro: Sober Living Home Certification in Missouri is Optional
Missouri does not require sober living home operators to register or certify their homes with the state. There are no yearly required fees, complex application packets, annual inspections or other hoops to jump through in Missouri. You have the option to get your home certified - and you probably should - but you are not obligated to do so and there are no legal consequences should you discontinue your certification status.
Pro: Sober Living Homes Can Enjoy a Low Cost of Doing Business in Missouri
Missouri is considered a business friendly state. It ranked number one in the nation for having a reasonable cost of doing business and its overall business friendliness score placed the state within the top 25 states for 2022.
This means that your properties, your supplies, your furniture, your cleaning service and landscape service (should you use one), your vehicles, your maintenance and your repairs should be very reasonable. In 2022, the typical cost for a single family home in Missouri was under $250,000, which means that you should be able to get into a home for a fraction of what it might cost in a more expensive state. However, because the cost of living in Missouri is quite a bit lower than other states, your sober living home won’t be able to command the high rents it would be able to net in more expensive states. Average gross monthly rent in Missouri was below the national average, however that number has been rising quickly in the last year.
Pro: The Missouri Coalition of Recovery Support Providers (MCRSP) Provides a Lot of Support for New Sober Living Home Operators
In Missouri, the National Recovery Residences affiliate is called the Missouri Coalition of Recovery Support Providers or MCRSP, for short. MCRSP is based out of Jefferson City. They currently have over 126 partner agencies that work with them, as well as 196 accredited sober living home residences in the state.
Unlike some NARR affiliates, the MCRSP website features a ton of resources for would-be sober living home operators, including information on recovery housing standards, the NARR code of ethics, state certification application instructions, MCRSP policies and procedures, a guide on how to create your own policies and procedures manual for your sober living home, as well as resources on COVID, ongoing staff trainings and help with Medicaid applications.
Pro: There are Grants Available for Sober Living Homes in Missouri
Both the Marion County Endowment Fund and the Community Foundation Serving West Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri have been known to extend grants to sober living homes. In the past these grants have been used to help residences cover down payments or deposits necessary to secure a bed in the home.
Con: You Must Get Your Sober Living Home Certified If You Want to Take Any Government Money
Missouri requires all sober living homes to get certified with the state (through MCRSP) if they want to take any government healthcare dollars. For those running upscale sober living homes, this requirement doesn’t mean much, but for the rest of us, it will mean that Missouri basically requires any business model that works with lower income residents to get certified through the state.
To read more about how state regulations might impact your sober living home business in Missouri, you’ll want to consult state code. Sober living homes are considered a type of “recovery support program” under Missouri law. Relevant code of state regulations laws begin on page 46.
Con: Missouri’s Approach to Addiction Treatment Could Use Some Updating
Missouri uses an outdated and unnecessarily restrictive approach when it comes to managing addiction treatment in the state. Missouri is a CON (or Certificate of Need) state for addiction treatment centers, which means that it requires those seeking to open an addiction treatment business to prove that such a facility is needed before it may apply for licensing and open its doors. Missouri also wraps extra red tape around zoning laws when it comes to addiction treatment facilities. Finally, the state of Missouri has standards in place that pressure MAT patients to discontinue life saving maintenance medications like methadone in favor of traditional abstinence.
While none of these laws directly affects sober living in the state, it’s important to understand that the state’s overall stance in relation to addiction treatment is a less than ideal one.
Other Articles Related to Running a Sober Living Home in Missouri
Missouri is a Great State for Opening Your Next Addiction Treatment Center
Understanding National Regulations on Sober Living Homes in the United States - Part 1
Understanding National Regulations on Sober Living Homes in the United States - Part 2
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