Welcome
We’re glad that you are here!
NARR Board
Michelle Adams Byrne
Susan Binns
George Braucht
Chris Edrington
Beth Fisher
Tom Hill
Jason Howell
Cassandra Jackson
Curtiss Kolodney
Ted McAllister
Kevin O’Hare
Dave Sheridan
Susan Smith
Nancy Steiner
Fred Way
Texas Recovery Inn
Tennessee YANA, AHHAP
Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles
Minnesota, Colorado St. Paul Sober Living
Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina
Hope Homes
Washington, D.C. FAVOR
Texas Soberhood
Georgia Centers for Disease Control
Connecticut CCAR
Georgia Haven Homes
Michigan Touchstone Recovery
California Sober Living Network
Michigan Network 180
Florida Sanctuary
Pennsylvania PARR
NARR: May 2012
Consider the fact that…
• People in early recovery often return from institutions
or programs to environments that support alcohol
and/or drug addictive lifestyles.
• Recovery residences provide a safe, healthy,
community-based alternative for facilitating recovery at
all stages of the recovery process.
• Outcome studies show, the longer an individual remains
in a recovery/treatment environment, the greater are her
or his chances of sustaining recovery.
Existing Challenges
• Recovery housing options are limited in most
places in the country.
• Much of the existing capacity is of poor quality
and provides limited recovery support.
• Standards and technical assistance limited in
most places.
• These are not inevitable outcomes.
NARR Addresses the Challenges
• Rigorous standards based on best practices.
• Supports multiple pathways to recovery.
• Promotes a long-term, sustainable recovery model.
• Research: outcomes studies, strength and needs
assessments, under-served populations.
• Addresses ongoing housing discrimination issues
and is a voice for those that have none.
• Facilitates creative partnerships and advocacy.
• Promotes legitimacy for recovery residences through
research, and advocacy.
• Provides constructive, rehabilitative alternatives to
incarceration.
Recovery Residence Study
24 months following Residential Treatment
Criterion
“Usual aftercare”
Recovery Residence
Substance Use
64.8%
31.3%
Monthly Income
$440
$989
9%
3%
Incarceration
Jason et. al., 2006
Recovery Residences =
Housing as Recovery Support
• Addiction is a chronic disease often treated
as an acute condition.
• Recovery is a process that takes time.
• Positive recovery outcomes are strongly
associated with duration of recovery
support.
Recovery Residences
in the Continuum of Recovery
Acute care (inpatient, medical, psychiatric)
High
Recovery
residences:
Enter at any
level
Level 4
Level 3
Service
intensity
Level 2
Level 1
Low
Stabilization
Recovery
process
duration
Long-term recovery:
Independent, meaningful
living in the community
Levels of Support
Level I
Peer Run
Level II
Monitored
Level III
Supervised
Level IV
Service
Provider
• Peer recovery support in a democratically run
living environment.
• Peer recovery support and structure
implemented by house rules with an emphasis
on community and accountability.
• Peer recovery support plus extended-care
programming with an emphasis on
(re)habilitative life skill development.
• Peer recovery support plus life skills and
clinical programming.
Standards Criteria
Administrative
Services
Environmental
Staff
• Organizational structures that create and
maintain safe, supportive living environments.
• Elements that cultivate community culture
and individual recovery.
• Dwellings that are safe and recovery
conducive.
• Human resource policies and plans that
provide appropriate levels of support.
Housing Rights
 Home of Choice (FHA)
 Community Integration
(Olmstead)
 Dignity, Free of Stigma
People in Recovery
“disabled”
a protected class
(ADA, FHA)
(WHO)
 Safe, Stable Home
(SAMHSA)
Fair Housing Protection
 Equal access to appropriate housing.
 Equally enforced neighborhood
restrictions.
 Local governments must make
“reasonable accommodation” for
persons with disabilities.
 Local governments to remove barriers to
disabled housing access.
Not Protected
 Higher occupancy than natural
families in the same neighborhood.
 Unsafe conditions, poorly maintained
property.
 Illicit substance use; criminal activity;
and threats to health, safety &
property.
Discrimination on the Rise
Nationwide Problem
Not In My Back Yard
(NIMBY) politics
Local Governments
Actively discriminate,
undermine protection
State governments
Undermine protection
Government Discrimination
 Zoning restrictions.
 Low occupancy limits.
 Conditional use permits, high fees.
 Moratoria.
 Unreasonable safety, inspection
requirements.
 Unreasonable “reasonable accommodation”.
NIMBY Myths and Fears
American Planning Association finds these
statements about Recovery Residences to
be FALSE.
 Decrease property values
 Increase crime
 Increase drug/alcohol usage
 Are bad neighbors
 Undermine neighborhood character
 Overburden infrastructure
Real Costs of
Housing Discrimination
 Displaces residents, destabilizes
recovery.
 Decreases number of recoverysupportive environments,
opportunities.
 Creates barriers to open new homes.
 Increases operating costs, financial
burdens on residents.
Real Costs of
Housing Discrimination (cont’d)
 Undermines many social services
programs
 Increases cost of addiction:
homelessness, criminal justice, healthcare,
family impacts …
 Jeopardizes HUD funding
 Wastes precious resources on expensive
battles
 Polarizes communities, fuels stigma
NARR’s Housing Rights Solution
 Unified voice & advocacy training
 Locally, statewide & nationally
 Gain clarity from DOJ/HUD
 Create information/resources clearinghouse
 Build alliances
 Recovery, mental health & fair housing
 Encourage public-private partnerships
- Legal, cost effective oversight
- Streamline reasonable accommodation
- Build quality capacity
NARR at Year 1
• The Standard for Recovery Residences.
• Levels of Recovery Support.
• Standards for regional affiliate organizations.
• First summary of recovery residences is underway with
William White, Doug Polcin, Leonard Jason, & Amy
Mericle .
• Participation from highest-quality recovery housing
organizations nationally.
NARR at Year 1
• 1,800 recovery residences.
• Capacity to serve 24,000 residents.
• 13 regional recovery residence provider
organizations.
• Three additional regional organizations in process
of affiliation.
• Five regional organizations in formation with NARR
technical assistance.
NARR: May 2012
Collaborative Possibilities
“How can you help?”
NARR Supporting You
You Supporting NARR
 Organization Liaison
 Letters of support or
endorsement
 In-kind Support
 In-kind Support
 Subject matter expertise
 Funding Opportunities
 Technical assistance
 Develop Affiliates