Sober Living Homes in Virginia Are Regulated (Loosely) by the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services
Sober living homes fall under the category of “recovery residences” in Virginia. The state oversees a voluntary certification program and offers recovery residences the opportunity to apply to join a list of certified residences in the state if they meet certain qualifications. There are five recognized regions that DBHDS recognizes on its state certification list. Regions 1, 3 and 5 have only one certified sober living home each. Region 4, representing the Richmond area, has a long list of certified residences. Region 2, representing the Leesburg area, has only two certified residences. You can use this list during your research phase to help identify holes in the marketplace and set your sober living home up in a location where demand is high and competition is low.
Sober Living Homes Do Not Need a License or Certification to Operate in Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia is picky about the circumstances under which you may call yourself a “certified sober living home” or “certified recovery residence” but they are not picky about requiring you to actually secure certification.
Per Virginia State Code, all recovery residences claiming to be certified must either have achieved accreditation from Oxford House, Inc or NARR (usually by way of VARR). However, there is nothing in Virginia state code that specifically states you MUST be certified by any accrediting body. The law simply states that you may not represent yourself as accredited if you are not specifically accredited by these two entities.
Consider Joining VARR - The Virginia Association of Recovery Residences for Sober Living Home Perks
VARR is the official state affiliation of NARR (the National Association of Recovery Residences) in the commonwealth of Virginia. They issue accreditation and re-accreditation to recovery residences in Virginia and advocate for the recovery community as a whole at the state level.
VARR has a four-level system of certifying sober living homes in Virginia:
Level One: Peer Run (aka Oxford Model homes)
Level Two: Monitored (1 person on staff)
Level Three: Supervised (offering skill development and case management with 1 or more people on staff)
Level Four: Service Provider (offering clinical services in-house, usually with many credentialed people on staff)
In order to complete an application for certification with VARR, you can fill one out online or contact leadership directly at agrimesvarr@gmail.com or by phone at 804-489-4224.
Consider Getting Added to the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services Certified Recovery Residence List
If you’re seeking accreditation with VARR or with Oxford House, Inc, you are eligible to be added to the state’s official list of recovery residences. This can help with advertising your home and filling beds.
You can complete the application for a Certified Recovery Residence here.
In the application, you’ll need to provide basic contact information as well as information regarding the populations your home serves, whether or not your home is abstinence-based, whether you accept MAT patients at your home and whether you perform routine drug testing to ensure sobriety is maintained in the home.
Be Aware That Virginia May Begin Enacting More Regulations for Sober Living Homes in the State
While certification is currently voluntary in Virginia, and carried out by third parties like VARR and Oxford House, Inc, that may soon change. We are seeing increasing levels of regulation for sober living homes around the country in states without regulations. NIMBYism is alive and well in Virginia, with many disgruntled neighbors pointing to horror stories like this one in Chesterfield County as a way to demonize the community as a whole.
Staying ahead of regulations is important. You can do this in Virginia by:
Cultivating good neighbor relationships to control for NIMBYism
Running a quality facility with reliable staff and well-maintained grounds
Joining VARR and staying current on their best practices for sober living homes
Planning for increasing regulation in the future
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