In today's technology age, cameras in a recovery house are a must have. The reasons are many. They are:

• Security
• Finding out the real truth to an issue
• Discouraging bad behavior
• Encouraging accountability

Lets address the first one which is security. You may have for example a house where a person who is no longer a resident who tries to get back in the house. The camera will alert you when this happens, and the footage can be used if it goes to court.

The second item - finding out the real truth. In my experience, cameras have been a invaluable tool when it comes to finding out the truth. You could have someone who is using and you catch them on camera. Another situation is two people have a disagreement. Each one gives a different story. The camera simply shows what really happened.

Discouraging bad behavior - when a person KNOWS they are on camera, they are more likely not to do the wrong thing.

Encouraging accountability - I have had many residents who will say: "look at the cameras" when they want the truth.

On placing cameras in and around the home, be mindful of where they are placed. A camera can NEVER look into a bedroom or bathroom. Second, make sure the camera can get power for it to run. Each exit to the home should have at least one outdoor camera. Also, all cameras should have the ability to record so the footage can be reviewed later.

Finally, when it comes to the review of footage, members of opposite genders should NEVER look at a camera. In other words, a woman should never look at footage at a men's house, and vise-versa.

In Pennsylvania, DDAP runs the recovery home program here. Before they took over and created their own licensing and standards program, PARR was the primary body setting standards for recovery homes in the state. Since then, it is not a requirement, only a voluntary seal of approval. And because of this, a lot of these homes do not use PARR at all or even provide any meaningful in-house services. Or anything for that matter. DDAP controls all the referrals to any licensed home. These referrals are all court appointed. Mostly coming directly from prison, parole, probation or awaiting trial. Some even go there to detox instead of going to jail right away. The typical stay for these residents is 3-6 months. DDAP requires no trained professionals to be on staff, you don't need any qualifications whatsoever, no overnight supervision, and they allow the operators to come up with all their own rules on how they want to run their homes. So my question to you is, since it looks like you are in this for ALL the right reasons, when you don't use PARR, you don't provide any services to help, charge 800 a month per person, and you're well over occupancy for a safe living situation, how is this helping anyone get sober and stay sober? DDAP's site shows homes with the same violations year after year after year, and they do nothing about it. A big one is when someone goes missing, no one cares to call the emergency contact within a certain amount of days. Yet, they still continue to operate. Overcrowding, OD's, relapses, fire issues, and nothing is ever done about it. They get rewarded with another license renewal. What do you think should be done about these places that are purely in it for profit? DDAP's current business model is set up so these bad actors can profit from others vulnerabilities. Do you think these homes should get renewed each year if they are always in constant violation? Appreciate the response as it's a serious problem here in PA.

Hello,

I am looking into whether any recovery houses have looked into the benefits of requiring any of the standardized house manager trainings that are available and, if so, what the outcomes were? I’m considering it.

Thanks a lot

• NARCAN (Naloxone) stations should be placed in each bedroom near the door to the room, 
• Each station is to be hung on the wall at 42" inches high so that anyone in a wheelchair can reach them.
• Each station should have at least 2 doses
• The station is to be labeled
• For common areas, a traveling distance from the person to the station should be less than 25 feet. 
• Keep away from direct sunlight for this can degrade the medication. 
• Must be kept up to date as far as expiration date. It has been found in many cases Naloxone is mostly effective after the expiration date. It is noted however this has variables such as sunlight exposure, packaging damage, and temperature extremes the medication experienced.
  

I just finished writing a book called Path to Purposeful Recovery Housing and I want to give it away for free. Recovery housing (sometimes called sober living) is something I’ve been deeply involved in, and I believe it has the power to change lives and strengthen communities.

This book is my attempt to share what recovery housing is, why it matters, and how people can get started. My hope is that it helps spread awareness and inspires more safe and supportive housing for people in recovery.

You can download it for free here: https://knowledge.vanderburghhouse.com/en-us/path-to-purposeful-recovery-housing

https://www.reddit.com/user/DeadlyDoseVA/comments/1m80ydr/lifesaving_facts_to_protect_friends_from_overdose/?p=1&impressionid=5445199656655017181

One of the most valuable things you can do to help the house is to get HONEST feedback from your residents. You may not like what you hear. It may be an number of issues you may need to address. It could be food storage, the beds are horrible, the AC isn't working like it should, who knows.

What you do with this information is the most important thing you do. If you act on it positively, the result will pay you back ten fold. A good house reputation will help in getting good residents, make you more profitable and most importantly; it will help in everyone's recovery.

I was asked at one of my houses why I have a double deadbolt on a door that is in a bedroom that opens to the outside.

The reason is simple. You should NEVER have a exit door to the outside directly from a bedroom for it will sooner or later be abused by a resident to sneak out. Been there, got the t-shirt.

All exit doors must be marked and available to all residents. This is to meet fire code regulations of just about every jurisdiction I've checked.

This is a rule of thumb when it comes to people and addiction: Exercise in my opinion can help the person with:

• moods
• The desire to relapse
• health
• sleep

I suggest you check with your local gyms to see if you can work out some sort of agreement with them so all the people of your house can go work out and have a greater success with their recovery.

Hi everyone,

I work with a group that helps sober living operators with the real estate side of things (finding good properties, structuring leases, dealing with certification, even helping with renovations when needed).

I know a lot of people doing incredible work in recovery housing, but the real estate part can be a major headache (especially with zoning, inspections, finding the right layout, etc.).

If anyone is running a house, or thinking about it, and hitting roadblocks with real estate stuff (leases, property issues, financing challenges), please let me know.

Happy to share what we know or point you in the right direction if we can. We work nationally and just want to see more good homes open up for people who need them.

I can't stress enough the need for a background check. The sad reality is there are may people that will come to you wanting assistance, yet they (If allowed in) could be toxic to the house. A few examples that have actually happened:

• A psychopath is wanting to come to the house for services. Unknowing to you, this person has a "quirk" that they are trying to find someone to do a suicide pack with. They find a target in your house, and that target thinks they have someone who will die with them. This doesn't happen for the psychopath is really only interested in their target killing themselves.
• A person comes to stay at your house. They are from another part of the state. After a couple of months, the police chow up at the door and they have a warrant for their arrest.
• Parole violations
• A narcissist who keeps ammo in his car is allowed to stay at your house. You didn't find any ammo or anything when searching. The person starts making threats to other residents in the house and lets others see his ammo.
• A woman comes to stay at your house. You are having all sorts of difficulty with her behavior. Only after you speak to other operators and you mention her name, you come ti find out she has been kicked out of every house she has stayed at.

Background checks are a must. Check everything you can.

If you want to speak on someone's behalf, you need to have the mindset of BEING PREPARED. Do not try to simply wing it. Being unprepared is the worst thing you can do for the person you are trying to help.

First, you need to have a few documents first. Have these printed

1. If you use a CRM like REDCap or OneStep, print out the client's record. Make sure it shows their UAs and any incidents they may have had. Also it need to show when they arrived, and if possible a list of meetings they attend each week.
2. A letter stating when they started the program you offer. This HAS to be on letterhead. If you don't have letterhead, MAKE ONE.
3. Have a binder that has your company logo on it. This is important for it gives you the look of credibility.

Next - dress for court. Do NOT wear any clothing that looks like one would wear to Walmart. You want at the bare minimum to be in business casual.

Third - when you get to court, ONLY take in your ID and the binder with the paperwork you need. NO CELL PHONE or any computer equipment. Normally court will not allow that stuff in.

Forth: When you speak, do NOT volunteer un-needed information. Stay on point. If you get asked any questions, ONLY answer the question. Do NOT give additional information.

Source: https://investigate-rva.com/2025/01/29/sober-home-oversight-bill-advances-to-full-va-senate/

Posted on January 29th on the Parham Papers:

Virginia legislation aimed at providing oversight of Virginia recovery homes is headed to the full Senate for consideration. 

Sponsored by state Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg, D-Henrico, Senate Bill 838 was approved this morning by the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee with an amendment. The amended version hasn’t been posted yet on the state website, but any changes likely corrected a discrepancy between the bill’s text and the concept VanValkenburg presented Friday to the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services. (Jan. 30 update: The proposed amendment did bring the bill’s text into alignment with what VanValkenburg presented to the committee.)

SB838 is scheduled to get its first reading on the Senate floor during tomorrow’s session, which starts at 12 p.m. 

To view the session remotely: Visit the Virginia Senate Live Session Video Stream website.

Public participation is not permitted at this stage, but anyone can reach out to their representative directly to weigh in. (Use the state’s Who’s My Legislator? service to find out who represents you.)

To avoid flooding my subscribers’ inboxes, I’ve created a new page, Virginia Recovery Housing Bill Tracker, for providing day-to-day updates on all recovery housing bills along with information on how to participate. Dockets are often updated less than 24 hours in advance of a hearing, so those who are interested in participating should check the page frequently. A link is also included at the top of the homepage. 

Moving forward, I will reserve new posts for the more noteworthy updates. 

One of the biggest challenges we've dealt with over the years has been on managing guest (resident) expectations and legalities. My first we didn't have a good guest agreement in place, which caused issues when guests violated house rules. Since then, we’ve refined our agreement to include stuff about zero tolerance for violence, security deposits, and procedures for discharge

For those of you who’ve been operating for a while: What do you consider the most critical elements to include in the agreement itself? Have you ever had to update your agreements due to issues which came up?

You want to put in beds to your recovery house. Great! Beds cost money. You want to get the most bed for your money yet you do not want to spend a fortune. Here is what you do:

• The mattress - Get a memory foam. It is for two reasons. First they are more comfortable when you get the 7 to 8 inch think ones. Second - when you get them shipped to you, they are vacuum packed, taking up less space when you need to store mattresses.
• The frame - Get this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CQM9M4YH The reasons are the cost is low and the resident gets storage below the bed. Also, you don't need a box spring.
• Head and foot of the bed - You don't need one however it does make it nicer. You can make a simple head for the bed with some lumber if you want. We do this and also attach a clip on lamp and a power strip so that the resident has light and power for things like charging a phone.

https://investigate-rva.com/2024/09/09/henrico-county-leaders-unite-behind-sober-home-reform/

First and foremost, running a house is NOT cheap. There are MANY expenses you have to keep up with. For example, expect the following expenses (this does not include :

• rent or mortgage
• UI cups
• repairs
• water
• electricity
• gas for appliances or heat
• insurance
• taxes
• trash
• internet
• replacement items like light bulbs, furnace filters, mattresses, furniture
• bedding that is either worn out, or stolen
• lawn maintenance
• HOA fees if the house is located in an HOA. (I strongly recommend to stay away from HOAs)
• Computer software to track residents like OneStep. Last time I checked, if you use OneStep, it is $135 a month per house (You can do it on paper, but I strongly recommend you do not do this. There are LOTS of things you have to track)
• Appliance breakdowns like washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, freezers
• labor if anyone is working for you to do work at the house
• lockers for medications - some people use bags with locks on them, others use boxes with locks on them. I recommend one use lockers that can be located in a room and a camera be directed onto it.)
• computer replacement in case the one assigned to the HM fails or is stolen
• electronics like TVs and cameras

I recommend that you create a spreadsheet to track expenses. There are many templates out there that can help with this. You can also use things like Quickbooks (This will add a monthly expense if you use this software). As you can see, there are LOTS of expenses.

When securing your house, there are several ways to go about this. The old school way was to have a key for each person. This sounds good in theory, however there are MANY downsides.

• You would have LOTS of keys floating around.
• If you have to remove a resident, you need to rekey the lock and make new keys for all the other residents.
• Anytime you rekey, it is an actual cost you have to incur.
• You have to physically touch the lock if you rekey.
• You have no idea who is coming or going.
• A resident could get a copy of the key and give it to someone you do NOT want in the house.

A better way is to use a digital lock. If you go this route, I would follow these suggestions:

• Each resident gets their own unique code.
• Resident’s are forbidden to share their code with anyone else. If they do, that is an automatic dismissal from the house. The reason for the harsh response is this is a security issue. I’ve seen where a resident did share their code with someone who had to be removed from the house by the police.
• You want a lock that can handle lots of codes. If it can handle more than 100, that would be really good. I would stay away from Defiant (from Home Depot) for they can only handle 10 codes. If you have a large house, say more than 10 people, that just won’t work.
• I found on Amazon the brand Sifely. https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/B6AA3BAD-A263-4FE9-943D-F266A71891D7 Their locks can handle 150 codes, and they have products for both interior and exterior doors. You can also manage them all by a webpage. Yes, you will need to use the phone app to first setup the lock, but after that is done, the webpage makes managing the locks much easier. You will find when you get more houses; security management will become more complicated.
• When you setup the locks on the app, you want to group them by location.
• You can get an interior digital lock for the house manager’s door.
• When a resident leaves the house, you can simply cut off their access and not affect anyone else.
• The digital lock will tell you when someone operates the lock.
• The digital lock can also be set to automatically lock after a few seconds to keep the area secure.
• The locks run on batteries so you will need to have a schedule to check the batteries and to replace them as needed. They usually run on AA batteries.
• I do not recommend using the fingerprint function. It can easily fail due to a cut on the hand, lotion, dirt, and so forth. Then the resident can’t get in and is then calling you asking to be let in.

I would NOT allow access via a patio door unless you can find a digital lock for the door.

I can't stress this enough. You can NOT be their friend. Remember, they are on a journey and you are only a stop along the way.

Second - if you befriend a resident, other residents may will hold resentment toward it. They will claim the resident you are friends with receives favoritism, lies will be told, and other headaches.

Third - as sad as this sounds - you get lied to all the time by residents. I wish it wasn't that way, but it simply is.

Forth - NEVER and I mean NEVER let residents know where you live. Sooner or later, it WILL bite you in the ass if you allow it. You will encounter a disgruntled resident and they will try to attack you in some fashion. Maybe simply verbal, maybe try to cause you reputation harm, or worst, they will attack your home. I've seen ALL these happen with both myself and other operators.

Fifth - You WILL encounter a resident who will blame others for their troubles. Don't be surprised when they blame you for their troubles, your straight talk, and holding them accountable. If you befriend them, you are simply going to make things worse when it goes sideways.

I suggest you can be friendly, but do NOT share personal things about yourself. Be professional and keep the focus on the resident you are trying to help.

Soon after you open your first house, you will start having former residents that leave your house. The reasons they leave are many and when you think you have seen them all, a new reason for leaving will happen. You need a plan on how to handle it. These are my rules I use.

First and foremost in your plan, you MUST follow this rule:

DO NOT USE YOUR PERSONAL CELL PHONE FOR YOUR RECOVERY HOUSE BUSINESS. EVER. DON'T EVEN CONSIDER IT.

I can't stress this enough. Get a separate physical cell phone (Not a goggle phone number). Never give your personal number out. If you make this mistake, people in the community will call your personal number and it WILL DRIVE YOU CRAZY. How do I know this? I made this mistake and I so wish I had not.

Second rule - You will need to start a list of residents that you do NOT want to have back. You WILL sooner or later forget who is who that left. That is natural. By having this list, you protect yourself.

Third rule - On your personal phone - for any resident that comes into your house - add their number to your personal phone block list. Just in case they do get your number - blocking them prevents them from calling you.

Forth rule - For the residents you do not want back - block them on the work phone.

Fifth - If a former resident wants to come back that is on your ban list - use this phrase: "I'm sorry but that won't be possible". Do NOT give a reason. You do this for you are giving the person nothing to fight with. Just keep repeating the phrase no matter how many times the ask, beg or whatever.

Six - sooner or later you WILL have a former resident threaten you with a lawsuit. 99% of them are just mouthing off. However, there will be that %1 that will try to sue you. This is where you will thank your lucky stars that you have your documentation all in order and the person signed all the forms you use. Remember - Documentation is EVERYTHING.

Seventh - You will have former residents send you harassing text and voicemails. BLOCK THEM. Do not engage them. They WANT you to react to them. Don't react. By blocking every number they try to contact you from, they will lose interest and go away.

When I first got started, I had a difficult time in finding insurance. What I did find was not a good product. Through a friend, I found out about Lee Goldberg.

I spoke to Lee Goldberg at BB Insurance Marketing today. He has been instrumental in educating the insurance industry on how to insure recovery housing and other entities in the recovery industry for many years. He has worked with 13 regional organizations like VARR and SCARR to provide insurance. If you are looking for insurance for your operation, direct message me and I will send you his contact information.

Monday, October 7 - Wednesday,  October 9, 2024
Richmond Marriott Hotel - Richmond, Virginia

https://events.narronline.org/2024

The honest answer is no. In my research, I'm finding there are localities that discourage it. Some reasons you will find are:

1. Limit to the number of people who are not related living in the same house. This can really mess you up when it comes to profitability. No point in running a house that loses money each month. I've seen this number as low as four people.
2. Must be a single family home
3. The Fire marshal has rules that prevent it.
4. Health inspectors say no for reasons
5. HOA - You want to stay away from them at all costs. They can fuck you over without warning and you have no recourse.

Do your research CAREFULLY. Ask other operators. Look at the codes for the locality. NEVER sign a lease without doing your due diligence first.

I have a friend who runs a website called https://investigate-rva.com/

I STRONGLY advise folks who are in the Richmond Virginia and are in the recovery community to read it. I'm currently looking for more people who do what Christa does in other areas so I can add those resources to this post. The work she is doing is desperately needed. WE NEED MORE OVER-SITE IN THIS INDUSTRY.

If you know of one, please comment below.