What’s the Difference Between a Halfway House and a Sober Living Home

Residents in sober-living homes commit to abstaining from substance use while participating in outpatient programming or after completing inpatient drug rehab. Our experienced team of professionals is able to answer your questions regarding our sober living houses. Contact us today to learn more and see if our residences can help you continue your recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. A sober living house is a residence owned by a private organization or individual for profit.

Halfway homes are managed by licensed drug counselors, therapists, and other similar healthcare personnel. Daily life is structured around group therapy or individual counseling sessions, support groups, and other aftercare programs. Halfway houses are less disciplined than inpatient rehab centers but slightly more regulated than sober homes. Outpatient substance abuse treatment comes in a few different tiers, the most common being Partial Hospitalization (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP). Partial hospitalization programs more closely reflect the daily schedule of an inpatient treatment center, except for allowing patients to return home at the end of each day’s treatment. Halfway houses have a time limit of 12 months maximum residency, which is different from sober homes’ time limit.

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This lack of guidelines and oversight has ensured that people in halfway houses are not being aided in safely and effectively rebuilding their lives after serving time in jails and prisons. It’s past time to start implementing oversight measures and extensive reforms that keep residents safe and help the halfway house experience feel more like reentry – and less like an extension of the carceral experience. Now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is even more important that the public focus on the jail-like conditions of halfway houses which put vulnerable populations at risk. As of August 18, federal Residential Reentry Centers (RRCs) had 122 active cases, and 9 deaths, of coronavirus among halfway house residents nationwide. However, recent investigative reports suggest that the real numbers are even higher, as the BOP continues to underreport cases in RRCs and state-level data is nearly non-existent. The largest CEC (now GEO) halfway house in Colorado was similarly subject to criticism when reporters found evidence of rampant drug use and gang violence, indicating the failure of the facility to provide a supportive reentry community.

These facilities vary from low cost and low amenity accommodations to luxurious accommodations. They are also available in diverse styles, such as faith-based accommodations, 12-step accommodations, holistic residences, etc. The gruesome portrayal of halfway houses in the media can often be the catalyst for formal audits of these facilities. But it should be noted that regular monitoring, auditing, and data reporting should be the norm in the first place. Halfway houses are just as much a part of someone’s prison sentence as incarceration itself, but they are subject to much less scrutiny than prisons and jails.

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One difference between sober house and halfway house is that halfway houses host individuals that have just been released from prison or jail that also likely are in recovery from substance addictions. Sober houses on the other hand only host individuals that are newly recovered from substance addictions. Halfway houses offer an opportunity for individuals leaving correctional facilities to have a smoother transition into their new lives.

• Informed by her personal journey to recovery and support of loved ones in sobriety, Jessica’s empathetic and authentic approach resonates deeply with the Addiction Help community.
• The residents of halfway houses are typically court-mandated to live there, and the facilities are therefore run by the state.
• Take a look at the halfway houses in your area by using the SAMHSA program locator.
• There was a hope that the inmates in the program would be less likely to re-enter the prison system.

A halfway house is where people can live while transitioning from one stage to another. For example, a person might stay in a halfway house after being released from prison or treatment for addiction. Sober homes provide structure and support to help residents transition to a new life and remain sober. Halfway houses offer a dorm-like setting, while sober homes are in quiet residential areas. Sober living environments also tend to be less strict than halfway houses, and residents of a sober living facility are allowed to come and go.

Benefits of a Halfway House

But when considering some of the services offered, make sure they’re services that help support your sobriety. Part of living in recovery is “showing up for life,” meaning doing things for yourself that make you a successful, contributing member of society. When in active addiction, we tend to ignore the things that make us successful. So when getting back on our feet and in recovery, cooking and cleaning for ourselves is part of a healthy recovery plan. You’ve gone through medical detox and completed an inpatient or outpatient treatment program.

If you are leaving an inpatient or PHP program, we recommend your next step is to go to a sober living home and continue treatment in an IOP program. When you are transitioning to a sober living home affiliated with an IOP program near you, ask your case manager to help you formulate the best aftercare plan. If you are transitioning from a sober living to a halfway house after completing an IOP program, it’s best to talk to people who are familiar with halfway houses near you. Talking to others in the recovery community and the clinical program could save you time and trouble of weeding out what the best options are for yourself. The Federal Government usually funds halfway, eliminating all costs or maintaining it at a low cost to the patients.

Typical Rules for a Halfway House

When you’re embarking on the first steps toward recovery, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the jargon of the addiction treatment world. Terms like “inpatient,” “partial-hospitalization,” and “medically-managed” may be different terms that you’re accustomed to in daily life, but are common to the world of addiction treatment. Lastly, halfway houses are often https://ecosoberhouse.com/oxford-house/ owned or sponsored by the state, while most sober-living houses are owned privately or by treatment facilities that want to provide continuing support for their patients. 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.

This is huge as most inmates heavily struggle with getting jobs after completing their sentences. The terms halfway house and sober living house are often loosely interchanged, there are differences. A halfway house is usually less structured and allows for its residents to have more personal freedoms while they maintain the necessities of sobriety to live in the house. A sober living home is often for those that are still in some aspect of clinical treatment, like an IOP or OP program. The benefits of sober living homes over halfway houses depend on an individual’s specific needs and circumstances.

How Much Does a Halfway House Cost?

There are a few of them that offer some therapeutic treatment and support, but in most cases, it is not available. However, they offer group meetings promoting sober living and reinforcing recovery. A halfway house can be an incredibly beneficial stepping stone for those re-entering society. By providing a safe and supportive environment, individuals what is a halfway house in sober living homes can access the resources they need to successfully transition into everyday life. Consider a halfway house if you or someone you know is seeking a place to live that offers support and guidance. If you are interested in learning more about sober living homes or finding one in Austin, Texas, don’t hesitate to contact us.

• If you’ve struggled to understand the different types of treatment, you’re not alone.
• Inmates are placed in halfway houses for a period of time up to 12-months and they must follow the rules of the halfway home.
• Residents are normally asked to remain sober and comply with a recovery program.
• Palisades house is a coed residence, and the Barrington house only hosts male residents.
• Subsequent audits identified a number of major staffing issues, including high turnover rates and misconduct.
• Our free email newsletter offers guidance from top addiction specialists, inspiring sobriety stories, and practical recovery tips to help you or a loved one keep coming back and staying sober.

It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers. Cases of COVID-19 are uniquely dangerous in halfway houses due to the work release component of many facilities. For the most part, people go to halfway houses because it is a mandatory condition of their release from prison. Some people may also go to halfway houses without it being required, simply because the facility provides housing.

Other sober living homes are a privately-owned house where a collective of the residents run the house together. Similar to an Oxford House, these sober living homes also have a strict set of rules and often have blackout periods and strict rules about employment and paying rent. Riviera Recovery is a health and wellness sober living community helping men & women recover from substance use, mental health and co-occurring disorders. These woeful inadequacies are indicative of a larger systemic failure of halfway house oversight that often results in deeply problematic conditions for residents. Too often, audits are only conducted after journalists report on the ways specific halfway houses are failing residents, rather than government correctional agencies doing proper oversight on their own. As they became further integrated with the formal correctional system, eventually becoming the primary prerelease opportunities for inmates, these programs were often characterized as “halfway out of prison” programs.

It’s much easier to find another facility than to struggle living at one that isn’t a good fit for you. Jessica graduated from the University of South Florida (USF) with an English degree and combines her writing expertise and passion for helping others to deliver reliable information to those impacted by addiction. Informed by her personal journey to recovery and support of loved ones in sobriety, Jessica’s empathetic and authentic approach resonates deeply with the Addiction Help community. Take a look at the halfway houses in your area by using the SAMHSA program locator. Residents will be allowed to leave to attend work, family obligations, religious observation, 12-step meetings, etc. Residents can expect random drug testing or alcohol screening to show that they are still sober.