Read all of the answers to your most frequently asked questions about what goes into opening a sober living home in Delaware below.
Must sober living homes be certified or licensed by the state in order to open and operate in Delaware?
As of now, the answer to this question is no.
There are no state-wide regulations regarding sober living home certification or licensing in Delaware. There is, however, pending legislation in Delaware that may place a few restrictions on sober living homes in the near future.
Does Delaware have a NARR (National Association of Recovery Residences) affiliate that my sober living home can join?
There is no established NARR affiliate in Delaware - yet. Nearby states, like Pennsylvania, have very active affiliates but Delaware is still listed as the location of an “emerging” affiliate on the NARR website's affiliate map at this time.
Generally speaking, this means that there is some interest in starting an affiliate but that it has not yet officially opened its doors, started accepting membership requests or begun reviewing certification applications.
Tell me more about this pending legislation that may affect sober living home regulations in Delaware in the near future?
Various legislation pushes have been made to regulate the so-called “fraudulent” sober living homes allegedly located in Delaware.
In 2019, legislators attempted to pass House Bill 245, which would have made state-approved licensure a requirement for Delaware sober living homes. This bill sought to bring all sober living homes in the state under the jurisdiction of the Delaware Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, sometimes called DSAM. However, this bill died in the Housing and Community Affairs Committee of the general assembly in that same year and did not become law.
More recently, in 2022, Representative Valerie Longhurst sponsored another bill with a similar, but less restrictive goal, referred to as House Bill 412. This bill seeks to amend Title 16 of the Delaware Code to create an optional licensing and/or accreditation program for sober living homes in Delaware. This less draconian proposal would create a common set-up for sober living regulations that is becoming increasingly popular with legislators who want to encourage sober living regulations without creating too many barriers for sober living home operators. Under HB412, only certified sober living homes would be allowed to accept referrals from state agencies. Certified homes would also be eligible for state funding streams, while uncertified homes would remain self-pay only.
HB412 entered into the Health and Human Development committee in May of 2022 and is still pending, so it is possible that this piece of legislation will pass into law.
What’s the demand like for sober living homes in Delaware?
There is no central database that provides information on all sober living facilities in Delaware. However, if the outlook is anything like the rest of the United States, it is safe to say that Delaware does not have enough quality sober living homes to meet the needs of its residents.
Sadly, like many states, Delaware has been hit hard by the opioid crisis and the arrival of even more deadly opioids, such as fentanyl. Overdose deaths reached an all-time high in November 2022 in Delaware, where 43 people died from overdoses over the course of a single month. In that month, New Castle county was hit hardest, with 21 deaths, while Sussex county sustained 18 overdose deaths and Kent county counted 4 lives lost to opioid overdose. In general, Delaware is seeing somewhere between an 18% and 50% increase in overdose deaths, depending on the month in question.
What entity might be responsible for sober living home certifications in Delaware in the future?
It seems likely that, should Delaware institute a voluntary certification program for sober living homes, that a state agency such as Delware Health and Social Services’ (DHSS)
Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DHSMH) might be responsible for ultimately overseeing certification of sober living.
While one can locate addiction treatment center certification applications on the DSAMH website, you’ll note that there is not a corresponding application available for sober living homes, as that regulation has not yet been successfully passed by the state.
Another possibility is that DHSMH may select a future NARR affiliate in Delaware to oversee certification on its behalf.
Other Content Relevant to Operating Delaware Sober Living and Addiction Treatment Centers
List of Addiction Treatment Centers in Delaware - Behave Bridge
Regulations on Sober Living Homes in the United States - Part 1
Regulations on Sober Living Homes in the United States - Part 2
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