Montana organizes RRAM and begins enacting modest certification and registry requirements for sober living homes
Montana has been roiled in recent years by sober living home fraud scandals, ranging from Medicare fraud schemes to employment law violations.
In response, the Montana sober living home community formed RRAM in partnership with the Montana Department of Health and Human Services and the NADC. As the state’s NARR affiliate, RRAM has been issuing voluntary certifications to sober living homes that meet stringent criteria since 2023.
Simultaneously, Montana’s government began seeking increased regulations for the state’s largely unregulated sober living home industry. While Montana still allows some sober living homes to remain uncertified, several different government agencies have begun enacting modest reforms.
With the passage of Senate Bill 94, Montana opened a state-wide registry for sober living homes, and began requiring sober living home operators to provide proof of certification if they wish to solicit referrals from government entities, such as those frequently made by judges, prisons, or probation and parole officers.
Montana sober living home operators may also be interested in these posts:
How to Open a Sober Living Home in Montana
Rhode Island sober living home NARR affiliate shifts from OSCRH to RICARES
Sober living homes in Rhode Island have been going through several shifts in recent years in terms of NARR affiliation.
It’s not news that sober living homes are required to provide proof of certification in Rhode Island if they wish to receive state funding or referrals, including any reimbursements from the Rhode Island department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities & Hospitals or BHDDH.
However, who provides that certification service has changed recently. In the past, an organization called The Ocean State Coalition of Recovery Houses, or OSCRH, was the NARR affiliate for the state of Rhode Island. Awkwardly, OSCRH was not chosen by the state to oversee the optional certification program. Instead, the state went through RICARES, an old and long-established recovery community advocacy agency, to oversee the certification program. Since then, OSCRH seems to have disappeared. RICARES has now replaced the organization as the official NARR affiliate for Rhode Island.
Our older post, Thinking of Opening a Sober Living Home in Rhode Island?, was written before RICARES replaced OSCRH as the official NARR affiliate for the state.
If you operate a sober living home in Rhode Island, you may also be interested in these posts:
Rhode Island is the Perfect State for Opening an Addiction Treatment Center. Here's Why.
Delaware institutes voluntary certification program and gains NARR affiliate, FSARR this year
Delaware has seen a lot of regulatory activity for sober living homes and NARR affiliates in recent years.
First, after a long fight, Delaware finally passed some initial sober living home regulations. At least 3 other attempts failed - including House Bill 245, House Bill 412, and House Bill 412 - but House Bill 114 finally brought Delaware into the fold. As of early 2024, sober living homes are required to provide proof of certification if they want to accept state funding or referrals. HB 114 also created a centralized state registry for certified sober living homes.
Second, Delaware recently gained its own NARR affiliate, FSARR, short for the First State Alliance of Recovery Residences. FSARR began issuing certifications to sober living homes early 2024, as well. FSARR was chosen by the state to administer the voluntary certification program.
What Addiction Treatment CPT Codes Require Pre-Certification at Highmark, Inc.?
FAQ About Opening a Sober Living Home in Delaware
List of Addiction Treatment Centers in Delaware - Behave Bridge
Vermont’s NARR affiliate, VTARR, passes an act allowing sober living home operators to evict tenants that do not follow sobriety rules
In Vermont, sober living homes are not required to provide proof of certification in order to operate. In fact, there is still no official state-sponsored certification program - optional or otherwise - in the state.
However, regulations are beginning to make headway in Vermont, as evidenced by the recent passage of Act 163, aka S.186. The act establishes a state mechanism for recording and surveying all sober living homes in Vermont, taking data collection on all entrance and exit numbers of residents entering and leaving sober living homes in Vermont, as well as naming a potential certification partner should the state enact a certification program.
In addition, Act 163 makes it legal for sober living home operators to immediately evict sober living home residents who violate sobriety standards. Before the passage of Act 163, standard landlord law and due diligence made it possible for evicted residents who failed to pass sobriety tests to seek damages from sober living home operators for improper eviction proceedings. Now, sober living home operators are within their rights to immediately evict anyone who fails to maintain sobriety rules.
Some commenters felt that this act is an unfair violation of tenants rights, but the state’s NARR affiliate, the Vermont Alliance for Recovery Residences, endorsed the bill.
If you’re active in the sober living home community in Vermont, you may also be interested in:
Everything You Need to Know About Opening a Sober Living Home in Vermont
Managing a sober living home in Montana, Rhode Island, Delaware, or Vermont? Let us help.
Sober Living App is dedicated to doing one thing: making it easier - and more profitable - to operate sober living homes.
Our all-in-one app handles rent collection, admissions, property management, residents’ care coordination, community contacts, transportation details, calendars, staff, alumni and more - all from the convenience of your phone.
Claim your free trial today and see why more sober living homes prefer the Sober Living App.
NARR affiliates deserve smart management, too.
Discover if Behave Health’s new NARR Affiliate Management Platform (AMP) is right for your organization.