Difference in Transitional Living, Sober Living, and Halfway Homes

In addition, it is important to note that residents were able to maintain improvements even after they left the SLHs. By 18 months nearly all had left, yet improvements were for the most part maintained. Some facilities require a minimum number of days of sobriety from substance abuse, but many will work with you to determine if you’re a good fit. The time spent in a sober-living home depends on a number of factors including strength of recovery from addiction, progress on clinical milestones and the personal living situation at home. A minimum stay of three months is recommended, but many benefit from a longer stay for sustained sobriety.

Therefore, AHCCCS and the AHP promote a Housing First model in accordance with best practices as defined by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA). Supportive services for members in AHCCCS subsidized housing are funded by Medicaid and supplied by the managed care health plans’ provider network. No matter your reason for entering a sober living home, how long you stay will depend on many of the factors discussed in this article. The important thing is to make choices that can help you stay sober and give you the best opportunity for an addiction-free life.

Avoid Former Associates and Environments

Although the need for alcohol and drug treatment among this population is high, very few receive services during or after their incarceration. In California, studies show that few offenders being released from state prisons have adequate housing options and in urban areas such as San Francisco and Los Angeles up to a third become homeless (Petersilia, 2003). Housing instability has contributed to high reincarceration rates in California, with up to two-thirds of parolees are reincarcerated within three years.

This helps keep the environment (and expectations) as consistent as possible. The AHCCCS Housing Program (AHP) consists of both permanent supportive housing and supportive services. For a limited number of units within the program, eligibility is further based upon receipt of specific behavioral health services such as an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team. Or, perhaps you have been through rehab before and relapsed shortly after returning home because your family members continued to use alcohol or drugs around you. So you learned that you need more time after leaving rehab to work on resistance skills and believe that a sober living home can give you the benefit of several months in a drug-free environment with peer support.

Sober Living Homes

As a result of this, there are unique programs and care in sober living homes that differ in halfway homes. Sober living homes provide specific care that may not be provided in halfway homes, such as 12-Step group meetings, respecting the rules of the house, and maintaining a drug-free environment. At Turnbridge – an inpatient program in Connecticut – residents work through different phases of addiction treatment. All the while, they still have access to clinical care and support through their treatment program. Most residents of sober living houses will have received some formal treatment, like detox or residential rehab, before moving in. However, this is not a hard requirement unless a person’s addiction is severe.

• You live in a substance-free environment while navigating the responsibilities of life in the real world.
• Finally, a transitional housing center with a sobriety requirement could be of great help if you’re struggling with housing insecurity, mainly due to addiction struggles.
• Some sober-living facilities are only offered for as long as you are in the treatment program.
• Let’s say you or a loved one has almost completed an alcohol or other drug addiction treatment program.

A significant difference between Oxford Houses and Sober Living Houses is that an Oxford house does not include paid staff or supervisors. These individuals are usually elected by the house members and have a six-month term. The supportive housing model and services are designed to meet the specific needs of intravenous drug users who are participating in a sterile syringe access program. For this program, supportive housing means housing enriched with services.Between the two agencies, sixty-two (62) units of subsidized housing and two (2) intensive supportive housing (ISH) teams exist to serve consumers. Level A, available to thirty (30) clients, combines the benefits of treatment with those of supportive housing and requires clients to participate in a minimum of five (5) hours of substance abuse treatment per week. Level B, available to thirty-two (32) clients, makes no treatment or service participation demands on participating clients.

Who Can Live In A Halfway House?

Most of the time, residents share communal spaces, like kitchens, living rooms, and backyards. The expense is another significant distinction between sober living and halfway houses. Because they often have fewer facilities, less privacy, and less structure, halfway homes are the less expensive option. However, insurance may cover sober living, making it a practical choice for those who might benefit from this degree of assistance.

Inpatient rehab centers can also provide on-site detox services to aid the recovering addict through the early stages of acute withdrawals. Alternatively, halfway homes and sober living homes require individuals to have already completed detox. While the goal sober house of sober living homes and halfway houses are similar, there are a few variances. For starters, halfway houses are frequently intended for those who have recently been released from prison and have completed a drug treatment program while incarcerated.

As a result, those who have previously achieved some level of sobriety are more likely to succeed in a halfway home than those who are just starting out in recovery. You can live at a halfway home if you’re freshly sober, have gone through detox, are willing to stay sober, and can commit to following the house rules. When you’re seeking help while working on your sobriety, it’s crucial to know the difference between sober living and halfway houses so you can figure out which is best for you. Think of sober living as your support net as you practice new skills, gain new insight and shape your new life in recovery with other people who are possibly facing the same challenges.

A critically important aspect of one’s social network is their living environment. Recognition of the importance of one’s living environment led to a proliferation of inpatient and residential treatment programs during the 1960′ and 70’s (White, 1998). The idea was to remove clients from destructive living environments that encouraged substance use and create new social support systems in treatment. Some programs created halfway houses where clients could reside after they completed residential treatment or while they attended outpatient treatment. Historically, halfway house were known for providing housing for released with substance abuse issues and criminal issues.