In this post we’ll talk about state regulation and sober living home news in three states that do not currently have any NARR affiliated organization representing recovery residence operators.
Iowa sober living homes still need a NARR affiliate to fight NIMBY opposition
Iowa continues to not have a NARR affiliate representing the sober living home community. Without centralized community representation, sober living home operators often face difficult situations - like NIMBY resistance and poorly designed grant programs - alone.
For example, this summer, anti-sober living home NIMBY activists successfully persuaded the Omaha City Council to deny a sober living home permit to an organization that sought to convert an existing group home for boys into a sober living home for adults. It is perhaps worth noting that the proposed sober living home location was less than a mile away from the Omaha Country club. Council members cited “significant community opposition” but did not address if and how their permit denial would avoid breaking anti-discrimination laws.
Elsewhere in Iowa, a sober living home operator in Clinton was unable to move forward with a grant funding her project because the grant is designed as a “reimbursement grant” and can only be accessed after sober living home operators access startup capital elsewhere.
If you are interested in learning more about how to open a NARR affiliate in your state, contact NARR and learn about what it takes to become an “emerging affiliate.”
For more on behavioral health business and regulation in Iowa, see:
Nevada sober living homes have no NARR affiliate but are required to seek certification
The state of Nevada has no active or emerging NARR affiliate representing sober living homes at present. Nevada is one of many states that has yet to organize a NARR affiliate, but interested recovery community members are encouraged to reach out to NARR to get the “emerging affiliate” process started.
While certification is required for all sober living homes in Nevada, those certifications are issued directly by the Department of Health and Human Services Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health. Nevada’s official term for sober living homes and recovery residences is “halfway houses for recovering alcohol and drug abusers.” They are considered to be “facilities for the dependent” according to Nevada Revised Statutes, specifically outlines in NRS 449.0045.
Sober living homes located in Las Vegas, Nevada are subject to additional city-specific rules. Those homes must pay extra fees to the city for a business license as “transitional living facilities” and prove that they meet certain zoning and compliance rules.
There does not appear to be a movement towards increasing or decreasing sober living home regulations in Nevada. The Department of Health and Human Services states that they use NARR standards to evaluate new sober living homes, but they are not, themselves, a NARR affiliate.
Interested in other topics concerning behavioral health business strategy in Nevada? See:
Answering Your Questions About How to Open a Sober Living Home in Nevada
List of addiction treatment centers in Nevada
Arkansas halfway houses are required to get certification but sober living homes are still relatively unregulated without NARR affiliate
Arkansas has no National Association of Recovery Residence (NARR) affiliate. So far, there have been no public efforts to begin one, either. If you are a sober living home operator in the state of Arkansas, you may want to consider contacting NARR to get more information about how to open a NARR affiliate in Arkansas.
At present, Arkansas does not require sober living homes to seek certification in order to operate unless they specifically cater to residents who are transitioning from correctional facilities. In the state of Arkansas, sober living homes for justice-involved individuals are called “reentry homes” or “transitional housing for formerly incarcerated individuals.”
There are no current efforts in the Arkansas state government to increase regulations or impose new restrictions on sober living homes in Arkansas, although that is likely to change as more and more states embrace some level of regulation for recovery residences.
Without NARR representation at the state level, sober living home operators in Arkansas are left to deal with zoning challenges, NIMBY opposition, and discriminatory treatment as individual organizations without any larger institutional support. For example, in Little Rock, a sober living home operator was recently surprised at a routine housing permit hearing by a large group of disgruntled neighbors who spoke in opposition to her facility’s permit application. In the city, homes housing more than 4 non-blood-related individuals require a special housing permit. At the meeting, neighbors expressed concerns about parking. They also wondered if the sober living home was housing too many people in too little square footage. Ultimately, the city postponed the permit - putting the sober living home at risk of potentially closing.
Arkansas sober living home operators may also be interested in other topics we’ve covered, like:
The Fastest Way to Open a Sober Living Home in Arkansas
Opening an Addiction Treatment Center in Arkansas? Here’s How to Get Started and Get Licensed
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