Guide

The Smart Way to Open a Sober Living Home in Washington

Let’s go over everything you need to know in order to open a sober living home in Washington state. Believe it or not, here’s a smart way - and a not-so-smart way - to do this.

Why it's a Good Time to Open a Sober Living Home in Virginia

Sober living homes fall under the category of “recovery residences” in Virginia. The state oversees a voluntary certification program and offers recovery residences the opportunity to apply to join a list of certified residences in the state if they meet certain qualifications.

Considering New Jersey for Your Next Sober Living Home? Here's the Pros and Cons

New Jersey issues a Class F license for what they call “Cooperative Sober Living Residences” under regulations originally designed for boarding houses. This placement in the law is awkward for sober living homes because the designation is an add-on to existing regulations.

Michigan is an Ideal Place to Open a Sober Living Home 

Michigan is a great state for sober living home business start ups and expansions. The state has a huge need for sober living homes, as well as low levels of regulation which makes it easier and more lucrative to operate in the state.

Opening a Sober Living Home In North Carolina? Learn What it Takes

North Carolina - particularly Western North Carolina, a tourist favorite - is a very popular location for sober living homes.

Opening an Sober Living Home in Georgia

Today, we’ll look at what it takes to open a sober living home, transitional housing, halfway house or recovery residence in Georgia.

How to Open a Sober Living Home in Illinois

The 2019 law that created a voluntary registry as well as a voluntary licensing program for sober living homes in Illinois is widely viewed as a “first step” towards imposing further regulations on the sober living community in the state.

How to Open a Sober Living Home Business in Pennsylvania

Now that we have the final drafts of these regulations in place, we’re able to use them to help guide would-be sober living home operators in Pennsylvania start down the right path towards building their sober living home businesses to withstand these regulations. If you’re thinking of opening a sober living home in Pennsylvania and you intend to accept state funds or state referrals of any kind, you’ll want to take special note of these recent changes.

How to Open a Sober Living Home in Ohio

The good news is that the state of Ohio has created more resources than most states on how to open a sober living home or recovery housing community within state lines. Ohio is also very friendly to sober living home operators who balk at state licensure and registration.

How to Write an Awesome Good Neighbor Agreement for Your Sober Living Home

Today, we’ll look at what a Good Neighbor Agreement is, how to write one that works and how to implement a GNA at your sober living home.

Nuisance Lawsuits: A Crash Course for Sober Living Home Operators

More and more, we’re seeing local governments - like city and county entities - engaging in harassment campaigns against sober living home residents, owners and operators.

Understanding National Regulations on Sober Living Homes in the United States - Part 2

Today, we’ll cover state funding restrictions and local nuisance lawsuits at the city and county level that might affect your sober living home business, depending on your location.

The Absolute Best Updates you Can Make to Your Sober Living Home in 2021 (Part 1)

Sober living homes went through dramatic changes in 2020 to survive the pandemic - but what about 2021?

When Should Your Sober Living Home Call 911? The Answer is Complicated.

Emergencies happen everywhere and sober living homes are no exception. 911 is a fantastic tool for responding to medical emergencies but it is not the best tool for responding to every situation.

3 More Ways to Create a Healthy Organizational Culture at Your Sober Living Home

In a post earlier this month, we shared our top 3 recommendations for creating healthy organizational culture at your sober living home. As we created our list, we realized we had 3 more tips to share!

4 Ways a Trauma-Informed Approach Can Help Your Sober Living Residents Cope with Pandemic Stress

Addiction and trauma go hand in hand. Learn about how you can help your sober living home residents cope with pandemic stress with a trauma-informed approach.

A history of trauma is very common among sober living residents. As we continue to delve deeper into the pandemic, we are all being exposed to the shared secondary (or primary, in some instances) trauma of living through these disturbing times. The effects of going through such a turbulent time will no doubt be the object of much study in the years to come. 

As sober living home operators, what should we know about how trauma - past and present - are operating right now in our facilities? How can we support residents with a history of trauma during these traumatic times? What can we do to help residents cope with pandemic-related stress while building up their capacity for resilience? 

Today, we’ll look at four ways you can incorporate a trauma-informed approach into your sober living home’s COVID-19 playbook. 

Consider Screening New Sober Living Home Residents for Trauma

Screen new sober living home residents for trauma so you can address trauma appropriately as symptoms become apparent.

It’s difficult to address trauma when you don’t know it’s there. 

Implementing universal screening for trauma during your new resident application process helps you get to know what your residents are up against in terms of their lifetime trauma exposure. When an incoming resident has a high level of trauma in their past, you’ll know in advance. This can help inform how you respond to everything from “behavior issues” to interpersonal conflicts with your trauma exposed residents. 

Make The “New Normal” Predictable at Your Sober Living Home

Trauma and chaos do not mix. Keep your sober living home’s routine regular and predictable to avoid triggers for residents with a history of trauma. This helps promote feelings of well being and control over situations in people with trauma historie…

For residents with a history of trauma, unpredictable environments feel unsafe. COVID has disturbed all of the daily routines and patterns that signal to our brains that everything is normal. When big pattern shifts occur - like the ones we are all experiencing around COVID - trauma affected residents are more likely to respond negatively to the change. 

That’s why it’s so important to create as much pattern and predictability in our “new normal” as possible for your residents. Do everything you can to make sure that your sober living home’s COVID guidelines are predictable and consistent. Develop new routines around cleaning, visitation and socializing so that your residents always know what to expect, even during these uncertain times.  

Institute the Buddy System or Other Peer Support Program at Your Sober Living Home

If your sober living home doesn’t already use a buddy system, the pandemic is a great time to start. This helps residents with a history of trauma combat the negative effects of isolation and dissociation that often accompany trauma.

Does your sober living home offer in-house peer support? 

Do you have a buddy system between residents? 

If the answer is no, now might be a good time to start. Consider linking up “old timer” residents with new residents. When trauma affected residents are experiencing symptoms of isolation and dissociation, a quick check in with a buddy can help turn their day around.   

Get Curious About Problem Behaviors at Your Sober Living Home

Behavioral issues among sober living home residents is often in part due to a history of trauma. Residents learn certain coping skills to deal with negative emotions that may or may not serve them in all contexts. For sober living home managers, und…

Do you have a resident who is always breaking rules? Complaining? Starting fights? 

“Problem behaviors” are often warning signs of trauma. It’s tempting to ask such residents, “what’s wrong with you?,” but re-framing the question and asking, “what happened to you?” will most likely get better results. Often, the “problem behavior” you are picking up on is part of your resident’s trauma-related response. These responses might aggravate you, but your resident probably developed these behaviors as part of a survival strategy in response to their trauma. They are an expression of your resident’s will to survive in the face of adversity. 

Keep the Focus on Resilience at Your Sober Living Home

The sober living home community is resilient. Together we will make it through this pandemic. 

Infusing a trauma-informed response into your sober living home’s COVID-19 plan means treating your residents’ stress responses as normal rather than pathological. Helping your residents lean into healthy coping behaviors and veer away from negative patterns that no longer serve them helps build life-long resilience that will see them through the pandemic and beyond.

We’re Here to Help Your Sober Living Home Thrive

At Sober Living App, we know sober living and we’re committed to helping your sober living home thrive. 

Our software solution is saving time, money and sanity for sober living home operators across the country. 

We invite you to claim your free trial today.

Here's What You Need To Start Including in Your Sober Living Home Resident Agreements

A successful sober living home tenant relationship begins with a clear and concise new resident agreement.