An Organizational Analysis of Oxford House, Inc
Whitney Turrieta
Western Washington University
What is Oxford House, Inc?
Oxford House, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides charters, legal
advocacy, and other support for clean and sober houses. Included in the Oxford House, Inc.
mission statement is its primary purpose, "The establishment and maintenance of an adequate
network of recovery homes" (Oxford House Inc., 2013, p.2). Oxford houses are democratically
run, self-supporting, single family homes that are occupied by people recovering from addiction
to alcohol and other drugs, living together for rehabilitative support. Houses are autonomous,
except in matters regarding the charter that makes them an Oxford House. In addition to
affording the house the right to call itself an Oxford House and have an equal vote in chapter,
state, and organizational issues, the charter has three guidelines that must be followed:
[1] the group must be democratically self-run following the standard process and
procedures of the Oxford House Manual©, [2] the group must be financially selfsupporting and pay all its bills on time, and [3] the group must immediately expel any
resident who returns to using alcohol or drugs. (Oxford House World Services, 2012, p.3)
In addition to the sources cited, interviews with outreach worker Martin Selvidge, and State
Services Representative Richard Lewis, my own personal experience as a resident, committee
chair, and educator regarding the organization have contributed to the information shared in this
document.
Oxford House Inc. began as a grassroots movement, and has largely remained that way,
despite their international status. The term “grassroots movement”…“generally refers to local
people working together to find solutions to problems in their communities” (Schneider. n.d.,
para 1), which is exactly how Oxford House got its start. Founder and resident of the first house,
Paul Molloy, lived in a half-way house that was facing closure, and the residents decided to pool
their resources and rent the house themselves, creating the model that all subsequent Oxford
Houses have followed (Paul Molloy, personal communication, September 1, 2012). A recovering
alcoholic himself, Molloy experienced first-hand how limitations on the amount of time a
resident can live at a half-way house or work release facility can negatively impact an addict’s
recovery process, as they often have no place to go when their time runs out.
Fortunately, Molloy is also an attorney, who early in his career worked as a
Congressional staffer on committees in both the Senate and House, where he worked primarily
on environmental and transportation issues (Columbus School of Law, n.d.). This experience
positioned Molloy to face the challenges associated with starting what some people consider to
be group homes that lack legitimacy because they don’t “include supervision and recovery
programming” (Peacock, 2013, p.4). In 1995, Oxford House, Inc. won its first landmark case
regarding housing rights, when the United States Supreme Court, in the case of City of Edmonds,
WA v. Oxford House, Inc. (514 US 725), “found that recovering alcoholics and drug addicts are
protected under the Federal Fair Housing Act as handicapped individuals” and that zoning laws
must treat them as such (Oxford House Inc., n.d., 1990-1996 section, para 4). This case laid the
foundation for additional legal actions that have taken place in the last 15 years, which will be
explored more in depth in human resources, strategic planning, and external issues discussions.
Current Programing and Services
Current programing and services are provided at local, state, and national levels.
Nationally, Oxford House residents, alumni, outreach employees, world council members, and
some board members, meet annually at a world conference to share information, exchange ideas,
vote on issues that affect Oxford House, Inc., and create or strengthen networks among members.
Oxford Houses are run from a bottom-up system, rather than a top-down model.
Individual houses are created and filled with recovering addicts, and houses within a 100 mile (or
less) radius meet monthly as chapters to decide on matters that affect their chapter. In
Washington State, as well as other areas where there are concentrations of Oxford Houses, an
elected chapter chairperson from each chapter attends a bi-monthly meeting of the State
Association to vote on matters that affect the houses within the state. Most of the services that
are offered exist at the house level, where rehabilitative support is provided by peers. Because
the recovering addict is the focus of Oxford House, Inc., and the primary purpose is to make
housing available for those who need it, all of the activities among Oxford Houses are created to
that end.
Support for houses comes in many forms. One of the expectations in an Oxford House is
that each member participate. The chart below describes the standard house roles in Washington
State Oxford Houses.
Figure 1: Standard house positions in an Oxford House
House President: responsible for facilitating
weekly house meeting and general
leadership in the house, as well
representing the interests of the house at
chapter meetings. Also pariticipates in a
monthly audit of the house finances to be
submitted to the chapter.
Fundraiser: responsible for attending
chapter fundraising committee meetings
as well as participating in fundraising
events. This position is usually filled by
the newest house member so that they
can become acquainted with other
chapter members and learn how Oxford
functions.
Comptroller: responsible for receiving
and writing receipts for house member's
money orders, tracking each members
account with the house, and completing
a report for the weekly house meeting
of each members payments, fines, and
balances. Also participates in the
monthly audit of the house finances to
be submitted to chapter.
Treasurer: responsible for safe keeping of
the house checkbook, writing checks that
have been approved by the house, and
completing a weekly report, as well as
pariticipating in a monthly audit of the
house finances to be submitted to the
chapter. The treasurer is NEVER a signer on
the account
Secretary: responsible for recording
minutes from the weekly house
meetings, updating vacancies on the
website, and checking the house email.
Housing Services Representative (HSR):
responsible for attending and
participating in informational
presentations at local treatment centers
and preparing a monthly report to
submit at the monthly chapter meeting.
Chore Coordinator: responsible for creating
a chore list and checking that chores have
been completed on time and to standards
set out by the house.
(Turrieta, 2013, p.6)
Each house has several house positions and house members elect individuals to fill various roles
for no longer than six continuous months. As needed, chapters put on training workshops for
house members to attend to learn how to effectively carry out their house positions. Workshops
assist house members in understanding forms, policies, and procedures as set out in the Oxford
House Manual (available at http://www.oxfordhouse.org/userfiles/file/doc/man_house.pdf) as
well as sharing experience of long standing members and outreach employees. “Each one teach
one” is a common theme in activities among Oxford House members, and those who have
experience with all aspects of house and chapter functions are invited to share the benefit of their
experiences with new or less experienced members (Richard Lewis, personal communication,
November 23, 2013).
Other programming and services include organizational activities, fundraisers, campouts,
holiday parties, retreats, and support for members to attend the annual convention. In
Washington State, where inmates with no release address who remain incarcerated past their
earned release date can apply for a voucher to pay for 90 days of housing, Oxford Houses work
closely with the Department of Corrections to assist with housing and re-entry for those who
qualify.
Demographics
Most Oxford Houses are located in the United States, but there are also Oxford Houses in
Canada, Ghana, Australia, and several parts of the United Kingdom. 45 states are home to
Oxford Houses, with the highest concentrations in 5 regions: Washington/Oregon, Texas,
Illinois, Pennsylvania/New Jersey, and North Carolina (Jason, Davis, & Ferrari, 2007).
Demographically, the common thread among members of the organization is addiction to alcohol
or other drugs and active participation in recovery, including abstinence. The only criteria for
exclusion from an Oxford House is conviction of arson or sex offenses.
Oxford House, Inc. (2013) reported the following statistics in its 2012 Annual Report (p. 4):
National Oxford House Resident Profile *
Number of Women’s Houses: 420
No. of Women Residents: 3,241
Number of Houses For Men: 1,192
No. of Men Residents: 9,494
National Network of Houses: 1,612
Total Number of Residents: 12,735
Number of States with Houses: 45
Cities with Houses: 482
Average Age 36.2
Percent Veterans 18%
Average Educational Level 12.2 yrs.
Range of Educational Level 3-19 yrs.
Average Cost/Person Per Week: $108
Rent Per Group Per Month $1,420
Residents Working 6/15/12: 92%
Average Monthly Earnings: $1,690
Prior Homelessness: 63%
Average Time Homeless: 6 Mos.
Prior Jail: 78%
Average Jail Time: 13 Mos.
Percent Addicted To Drugs and
Percent Addicted to Only Alcohol: 26%
Alcohol: 74%
Race –
Marital Status--
White
56%;
Never Married
45%
Black
40%;
Separated
18%
Other
4%
Divorced
33%
Married
4%
Average AA or NA Meetings Per Week: 5.1
Percent Going To Counseling and AA or NA: 44%
Residents Expelled Because of Relapse: 17.5%
Average Length of Sobriety of House Residents: 14.5 Mos.
Average Length of Stay In An Oxford House: 10.1 Mos.
Average No. of Applicants For Each Vacant Bed: 4.4
*As of June 30, 2012 based on standard OHI survey and house reports. Number of houses and beds is as of the end
of CY 2012.
Fiscal Year 2012
Oxford House, Inc. has 5 sources of funding that contributed to their 2012 fiscal year
income of $3,878,166 (Oxford House Inc., 2013). The following chart shows income sources by
percentage. The Federal Awards are mainly comprised of state block grant funding, and the State
and Local Awards exclude pass-through and federal block grant funding (p. 3).
Figure 2: OHI Income. Data and graphic information reproduced. (Oxford House Inc. Annual Report, 2013, p. 3)
OHI Income
26%
10%
3%
1%
Contributions 10%
Convention Revenue 3%
Combined Federal Campaign 1%
Federal Awards 60%
60%
State and Local Awards 26%
Oxford House, Inc. expenses totaled $3,691,845 in 2012, which was $186,321 less than their
total income (Oxford House, Inc., 2013). “Over 95% of every dollar goes to program costs,
(with) travel, telephone and personnel costs accounting for nearly 90% of all costs” (p. 3). OHI’s
expenses are detailed in the chart below.
Figure 3: OHI Expenses. Data and graphic information reproduced. (Oxford House Inc. Annual Report, 2013, p. 3)
OHI Expenses
Personnel 54%
Travel and Lodging 30%
4%
3%
3%
3%
3%
30%
Convention Expense 3%
54%
Office Rent 3%
Professional Fees 3%
Telephone/Facsimile 3%
Other 4%
Figure 4: FY 2012 Expenses By Category and Function
Source: Oxford House Inc., 2013, p. 17
Sharing the Mission = Carrying the Message
Oxford House relies heavily on community education from their current house members
and alumni to attract new applicants. “They are the ones who have first-hand knowledge of how
the Oxford House program works and can carry the message that Oxford House works to their
local communities, treatment providers, fellow alcoholics and drug addicts” (Oxford House Inc.,
2012, p. 11). Relationships are developed and maintained with chemical dependency facilities,
where house members give a standard presentation to treatment participants and then answer
questions. Presentations are given at prison and work release facilities, and there has been an
increase in recent efforts to include more providers of veteran services (M. Selvidge, personal
communication, November 26, 2013). Individual houses are also encouraged to hold open
houses so that they can both educate their community and put their neighbors at ease. Outreach
workers regularly lead presentations given by house members and alumni for professionals, such
as probation officers, or in prisons.
Because a large portion of the funding for Oxford House, Inc. comes from federal and
state grants, accurate statistics and study results are necessary to demonstrate the demographics
and effectiveness of the Oxford House model. Some state associations, including Washington
State, require monthly reports that supply information about house membership, including the
number of residents at the end of the month, how many residents have been dismissed for cause,
and relapse rates. Researchers at DePaul University have been keeping and reporting on national
Oxford House statistics for many years, and reports published as a result of that research has
assisted Oxford House, Inc. in receiving and retaining grants.
A smaller amount of income is also generated by house, chapter, and state association
donations. Houses are encouraged to donate a minimum of $50/month to Oxford House World
Services and chapters and state associations also regularly contribute out of funds raised by their
bed dues. Oxford House, Inc., issues awards annually to houses, chapters, and state associations
that meet a minimum donation amount. Funds are suggested as a means to assist in lawsuits that
are occasionally necessary to fight discrimination and violations of federal housing laws, as well
as to provide start-up loans for new Oxford Houses.
The Organizational Structure of the Board and Staff
At Oxford House, Inc., all operations are overseen by the board of directors, led by
founder and Chief Executive Officer Paul Molloy. The World Council, comprised of elected
(with the exception of two emeritus positions) Oxford House members and alumni, are the next
step down and work to determine (democratically) resolutions to be proposed to the voting body
of Oxford Houses. Working under CEO Paul Molloy are a CLO, CFO, and Program Director.
The Program director is responsible for supervision of the outreach workers. With the exception
of the board, officers, and outreach employees, all participants in this mostly-democratically ran
system are both volunteers and residents or alumni of Oxford Houses.
Source: Oxford House World Services, 2011 (p. 3)
Volunteer Recruitment and Human Resources
Oxford House, Inc. relied heavily on volunteers from within their houses, as well as
alumni, to meet its human resources needs. Worth (2012) describes potential motivations of
volunteers:
Some…are motivated by the mission of the non-profit and by their personal values. They
may volunteer because they have the desire to give something back to society, to improve
the lives of others, or to advance some activity or cause that they believe to be important
to their future. (p. 228)
Oxford House volunteers will often identify all of those motivators as personal to them. From
individual house meetings to world conventions, Oxford House members can be heard sharing
their experience, strength, and hope; crediting Oxford House with saving their lives. This belief,
and the associated gratitude, leads many members to volunteer as many hours as a full time job
would require. Richard Lewis, who has served as a State Services Representative for the
Washington State Association Board, says that he has volunteered hundreds of hours over the
course of the five years that he has lived in Oxford House because “somebody laid the
groundwork for me to be able to live in Oxford and get clean. I learned how to live responsibly,
and it’s important that I give back by sharing my experience and helping houses who are
struggling” (R. Lewis, personal communication, November 19, 2013).
The 12 step programs that most Oxford House residents credit with helping them
maintain their sobriety also strongly suggests that recovering addicts help each other. By
building on a foundation similar to a 12 step program, including having traditions that are very
similar in language to those read at every 12 step meeting, Oxford House, Inc. has been able to
mobilize a volunteer force that can meet almost all of the needs of the organization.
Oxford House, Inc. hires internally. The only paid positions, aside from legal counsel and
the administrative positions outlined earlier, belong to outreach workers. Outreach workers each
have a region of houses that they are responsible for overseeing, and some of their
responsibilities include locating and opening new houses, creating and monitoring bank
accounts, resolving internal house issues, attending professional presentations, and participation
in State Association meetings. Ultimately houses are ran by the house members, so long as they
are following the rules of their charters. However, when problems arise, most house members
will contact their outreach worker, who will either intervene personally or contact other local
core members for assistance with peer resolution. When a new position opens for an outreach
worker, Oxford House members who have demonstrated effective interpersonal skills and have a
strong working knowledge of how Oxford Houses run, are suggested for consideration. All of the
current Outreach employees have been residents of an Oxford House at one time.
Human resources funds are also spent on legal counsel. Oxford House, Inc. has a long
standing tradition of challenging zoning laws, along with the Federal Fair Housing Act, so that
Oxford Houses can overcome discrimination and occupy housing in safe neighborhoods. “The
rights of recovering alcoholics and drug addicts to live in Oxford Houses located in good
neighborhoods are well established” (Oxford House, Inc., n.d., rule of law section, para 7), and
Oxford House, Inc. has been a party to multiple lawsuits to ensure that fact. A memorandum
detailing the legal issues and accomplishments of Oxford House can be found at
http://www.oxfordhouse.org/userfiles/file/doc/zonememo.pdf.
Strategic Planning, Goals, and Objectives
Oxford House, Inc. has maintained the same long term goals since its inception in 1975:
expansion of the Oxford House concept and quality control of existing houses. Worth (2012)
states that “strategy is focused on the long term, not the day-to-day” (p. 168), but for Oxford
House, the day-to-day activities are what ultimately create new Oxford Houses.
Expansion is made possible by voluntary contributions by Oxford Houses and by
individual donors directly or through United Funds or similar campaigns, by grants from
states and communities, by the existence of loan funds, and by the hard work of Oxford
House staff and Oxford House residents and alumni. (Oxford House, Inc, 2012, p. 2)
Oxford House, Inc. has also been reaching out internationally, expanding to include houses in
England and Ghana in recent years. In 2012, CEO Paul Molloy presented the Oxford House
concept when he was invited by the Chilean government to speak as a member of an expert
panel; he also represented Oxford House, Inc. as a panelist on recovery housing in Stockholm,
Sweden at the World Federation Against Drugs [WFAD] conference (Oxford House, Inc., 2012).
Oxford House, Inc. plans to continue sharing their concept globally.
The Potential Impact of External Issues
The main external issues that impact Oxford House, Inc.’s ability to achieve its purpose
are related to addiction, and include availability of treatment for addicts seeking treatment, the
availability of the federal and state grants that pay the outreach workers wages, and the need for
additional housing with rehabilitative support for recovering addicts. Recognition of addiction as
a disease has led to breakthroughs in addiction medicine in the last couple of decades, but the
medications created thus far will not stop addiction, but rather soothe receptor sites in the brain,
helping addicts to abstain from use. As more addicts are pharmaceutically assisted in their efforts
to stay clean, the need for Oxford Houses will likely be increased. The affordability of Oxford
Houses, as well as individual houses being self-supporting, means that even as some individual
houses fail, the overall Oxford House model remains effective in other houses.
Legislative issues that have the potential to impact Oxford House, Inc. include changes to
the Federal Fair Housing Act, which currently protects addicts as handicapped and excludes
Oxford Houses from zoning laws, and the appropriation of grants and revolving loans, which are
currently used to pay Outreach staff and set up new houses. In the event that Oxford House, Inc.
lost its federal funding and block grants, the houses could still function and more houses could
be opened; the process would take more time and the quality control would either have to be
reassigned or funded by other means. Because addiction is an issue that continues to grow, and
the Oxford House model has been shown to be an evidenced based, effective model (listed with
SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices), it is likely that the
need for Oxford Houses will continue to grow and that Oxford House, Inc. will continue to
qualify for federal and state grants.
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats and Conclusion
Oxford House, Inc. has several strengths. Houses are run democratically, allowing all
members to contribute while learning responsibility. Chapters and State Associations allow for
houses to support one another without an individual houses success being dependent on the
success of other houses. The Oxford House concept is sustainable, because houses are selfsupporting, and even if another addict were never born, there are enough people struggling with
addiction and recovery to keep the current Oxford Houses open and full.
Oxford Houses do have weaknesses. Living in an Oxford House is not ideal for every
recovering addict, and some house members live in multiple houses before they find a house that
fits their personal needs. Oxford House, Inc. has its share of politics as well, from house bosses
who manipulate and bully to get their way to popular votes at chapter, state, and world council
levels overruling candidates who would likely be better equipped to serve in the same role.
Personal relationships often bring complications and cause members to bend rules, including
Outreach workers who develop close relationships with core members. The inclusion of an
optional expulsion by majority vote for disruptive behavior, without clearly defining what
“disruptive behavior” is, means that a member who is following all of the house rules can still be
expelled by a 51% majority vote, with no recourse. Also, the exclusion of criminals being limited
to sex offenders and arsonists means that somebody who may have committed the crime of
statutory rape cannot live in an Oxford House but a person committed of murder, can.
Oxford House, Inc. seems to be current on “research on other organizations” including
“government agencies that fund addiction programs” (Worth, 2012, p. 175) and is able to utilize
current grants to fund the organization, as well as taking advantage of other opportunities, such
as partnering with other organizations that share the same cause.
Threats to Oxford House, Inc. are both internal and external. A toxic house, where the
rules aren’t being followed and alcohol and other drugs are being abused, damage the image of
Oxford House and lessen the likelihood of referrals from other agencies. Also, as other
organizations are created, the funding that is currently directed to Oxford House, Inc. could
potentially be accessed by other programs.
Overall, Oxford House, Inc. is a strong organization that is growing stronger every year.
The individual house members are the face of Oxford House, and the umbrella organization of
Oxford House, Inc. that provides legal support and quality control for new or existing houses,
have a symbiotic relationship and serve each other well. On a basic level, house members learn
how to live responsibly and be active participants in the community. People are treated with trust
and respect, given responsibilities and held to standards they often don’t realize they can meet.
As their self-efficacy grows, they reach out to other members in their community who are
struggling with recovery from addiction and offer to lend support, demonstrating the
effectiveness of the Oxford House concept and propagating Oxford House Inc.
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