A 2024 report on widespread abuses in New Jersey sober living homes is likely to result in increased regulations, new NARR affiliate
New Jersey is currently in arms about much-needed sober living home regulation due to a State Commission of Investigation report released in January 2024. The report alleges widespread abuses in the addiction treatment industry, including in the sober living sector. Among the complaints: patient brokering, subpar services, code compliance issues, patient exploitation and neglect, as well as inappropriate sexual relationships between sober living staff and residents. Not only does the report recommend an increase in regulations in the sober living home community, it also recommends that lawmakers establish financial and criminal consequences for those who operate unlicensed homes.
Surprisingly, there is no NARR affiliate in New Jersey. You can check the state-by-state index of NARR affiliates here.
Lawmakers in New Jersey have been trying to address that issue, among others, for years. The most recent push to establish a voluntary recovery residence certification program in New Jersey has coalesced in New Jersey State Senate Bill 2315. The bill, introduced just as the Commission of Investigation report went live in January 2024, assigns responsibility for the creation of a credentialing body for sober living homes to the Department of Community Affairs. SB2315 is currently at about 25% progression in becoming law and it remains to be seen whether it will be approved.
Find more on New Jersey’s addiction treatment business strategy and behavioral health regulations here:
Considering New Jersey for Your Next Sober Living Home? Here's the Pros and Cons
5 Keys to Medicaid Billing for Addiction Treatment in New Jersey
Thinking of Opening an Addiction Treatment Center in New Jersey? Here’s How.
Michigan’s sleepy sober living home regulatory environment is stable for now, as MARR continues to accept voluntary recovery residence certifications
Michigan’s NARR affiliate is The Michigan Association of Recovery Residences, Inc. (MARR). Although the organization continues to issue voluntary sober living home certifications in the state, there is still no formal regulation of recovery residences that requires operators to seek a license in order to open.
There has been very little movement in Michigan at the state level to begin to increase regulations in the state, as well. If anything, regulations on sober living homes in Michigan are trending backwards, as evidenced by the recent victory of a sober living home in Howell, which sought damages when the city discriminated against people with SUD (a protected class) and attempted to ban sober living homes from residential areas entirely.
There is no state-mandated registry for sober living homes in Michigan, nor is there any movement to create one, which is often the first step states take in establishing regulations for sober living homes.
As it is now, there are 63 different sober living home operators in Michigan who have sought certification, who control a total of 274 MARR certified sober living homes in the state between them. Nearly all of them allow residents who incorporate MAT into their recovery plan, with the exception of 4. While there’s over 1500 certified beds for single men in Michigan, there are far fewer for women, families, and LGBTQ residents.
For more on sober living and recovery business trends and development in Michigan, see:
Michigan is an Ideal Place to Open a Sober Living Home
How to start an Addiction Treatment Center in Michigan
Virginia’s strong sober living home regulations and mandatory certification program stable for now
Virginia has strong sober living home regulations that don’t appear to be budging any time soon. The state code governing mandatory licensing for sober living homes in Virginia is unchanged, and the legislature has indicated that it has no plans to alter it in the future.
The state’s NARR affiliate, VARR (the Virginia Association of Recovery Residences), opened in 2012 and continues to be one of the more robust and varied NARR affiliates in the United States.
In addition to sharing the responsibility for certifying sober living homes in Virginia with Oxford Houses of Virginia and the Virginia State Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (BDHDS), VARR also hosts a database of certified residences on it’s website. The organization sponsors leadership training for the recovery community and has several innovative programs for sober living home operators, including the Advanced Recovery Managemet Systems REC-CAP platform, which all certified sober living homes have access to for free with their VARR membership.
Read our other posts on behavioral health business strategy and development in Virginia:
How to Optimize Addiction Treatment Billing for Virginia Medicaid
Thinking of Opening an Addiction Treatment Center in Virginia?
Why it's a Good Time to Open a Sober Living Home in Virginia
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