Sober living home certification is still optional in Hawaii, New Hampshire, and Maine, but sober living homes in each of these states face a unique, shifting regulatory landscape of their own.
While Hawaii has no NARR affiliate, New Hampshire is actually home to two different recovery residence advocacy organizations. Meanwhile, Maine’s NARR affiliate helped the sober living community there narrowly escape mandatory certification for all sober living homes in 2023.
Read on for more regulatory news and updates for sober living home operators in these states.
Hawaii has no NARR affiliate, but sober living home certification remains optional
Hawaii has a history of low-interference regulations for sober living home operators, making it an ideal state for operations without too much red tape to manage.
Here’s some recent regulation updates for sober living home operators in Hawaii:
There is no National Association of Recovery Residences (NARR) affiliate in Hawaii. In fact, Hawaii doesn’t even appear on NARR’s map of the United States! If you’re interested in organizing a NARR affiliate in Hawaii, reach out NARR to get the process started.
Hawaii has no pending regulations for sober living homes as of late 2024.
Hawaii began a voluntary registry for sober living homes in 2014, well ahead of the curve of most state regulations for recovery residences.
The act that created the “Clean and Sober Home Registry” is called Act 193.
No certification is required for sober living homes in Hawaii as of 2024.
Providers that receive funding from the state, including state agencies themselves, are still allowed to refer to sober living homes that do not appear in the voluntary registry. Providers are instructed to give “preferential treatment” to sober living homes on the registry, but they are not required to totally exclude unregistered homes from consideration.
If you’re interested in behavioral health business in Hawaii, check out these blog posts:
Everything You Want to Know About Opening a Sober Living Home in Hawaii
Addiction treatment centers in Hawaii - Behave Bridge
New Hampshire has two sober living home advocacy organizations: NHCORR and NHPRR
New Hampshire has not one, but two sober living home advocacy organizations. However, only one of them is the official NARR affiliate for the state. Here’s the highlights of recovery residence news in New Hampshire :
Sober living homes face NIMBY opposition and housing discrimination despite having two advocacy organizations to represent the sober living home community. A recent case in Nashua illustrates this ongoing problem in New Hampshire.
The New Hampshire Coalition of Recovery Residences (NHCORR) is the NARR affiliate of New Hampshire, established in 2017. It provides voluntary certification for sober living homes that comply with NARR standards.
Instead of working with the local NARR affiliate, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services designated another organization, called the New Hampshire Partnership for Recovery Residences (NHPRR) to oversee the state’s voluntary certification program.
While the NHPRR certification is voluntary for all sober living home operators in New Hampshire, owners must still get certified with NHPRR in order to be eligible for state dollars of any kind, including scholarships and financial assistance.
Additionally, all sober living homes that wish to receive referrals from providers or other stakeholders must do two things: 1) seek certification with NHPRR and, then, 2) register with the voluntary registry.
If you own sober living homes in New Hampshire, you may be interested in these blog posts, as well:
How to Open an Addiction Treatment Center in New Hampshire
Maine sober living homes rely on NARR affiliate, MARR, for optional certification program
Maine has a NARR affiliate, and certification remains optional for all sober living homes in the state - with some caveats. That said, recent attempts at passing burdensome legislation that would deeply impact the sober living home community in Maine will not be forgotten anytime soon.
Here’s some key takeaways for sober living homes navigating the unpredictable regulatory environment of Maine:
Maine Association for Recovery Residences (MARR) is the NARR affiliate in Maine, and it was founded in 2016.
While certification is optional, all sober living homes must be certified by MARR in order to receive any state funding or support. This “compromise” between universal certification requirements and no certification requirements whatsoever has become popular among state governments as regulations for sober living homes become more common nationwide.
A recent bill, entitled LD 109, died in adjournment in Maine in 2023. The bill would have increased “life safety code requirements” for sober living homes, making expensive physical plant requirements like extensive fire sprinkler systems mandatory.
If you operate sober living homes in Maine, you may find these posts to be useful:
FAQ About How to Open an Sober Living Home in Maine
Addiction Treatment centers in Maine
How to Get an Addiction Treatment or Behavioral Health Center Licensed in Your State—Part 1
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