Hi lindafarkas,
Sober living houses, also known as ?Drug-free? houses, Sober Living
Environments (SLEs) or Transitional Living, are, oddly enough, not
required to be licensed in California. (Nor are they even eligible to
be licensed) According to this California Department of Alcohol and
Drug Programs-issued fact sheet, Sober Living houses do not even
provide alcohol rehab or treatment programs. Sober living homes are
where alcoholics, who have already successfully completed a treatment
program may live while they ease back into a mainstream lifestyle. The
residents offer each other support and strength.
?What is important about these houses is that all have three things in
common. First, they make sure that a person who is in recovery lives
in a place that is free from alcohol and drug use. Second, the
residents themselves reinforce their recovery through support with
other recovering persons. Finally, the residents are free to
voluntarily pursue activities to support their recovery, either alone
or with others.?
However, ?All treatment programs providing services under Proposition
36 must be State licensed and/or certified? Sober houses do not
provide services or treatment.
http://www.adp.cahwnet.gov/FactSheets/Alcohol-_and_Drug-Free_Housing.pdf
According to this article, Sober Living homes are but one step in the
ongoing road to recovery. The article states that once an alcoholic is
ready for a Sober Living home, they have already completed a treatment
plan, are cognizant of the damage alcohol has caused them and their
families, and are ready to proceed with a continuing recovery plan.
?Those who go to a sober living home realize that they are not yet ready to
face the questioning of parents, spouses and their friends. The ignorance of
those of us who haven't faced this disease is part of the problem. We may
tell them, "It's not so bad", I can put the drink down", "All you need is
willpower". These statements are not conducive to their recovery. The family?s
lack of knowledge often causes the drinker to postpone their treatment.
Newly sober persons need the continuing encouragement of others who have
preceded them in recovery. The sober living environment provides peer
influences, teaching and camaraderie while they keep each other focused on
how to live without drugs and alcohol. As stated in the mission statement of
one sober living home's web page, "Our mission is to provide a sober living
environment to our residents which will lead to a life free of drugs and
alcohol. This will be accomplished by structure, education and mutual
support. Our friendly homes work in a family type environment. We all work
together supporting each other emotionally and spiritually while sharing our
responsibilities. After sharing and experiencing our program you will be
equipped with the necessary skills to meet life's demands alcohol and drug
free."
Sober Living Homes, By Art Boudreault, Board President, NCADD Silicon Valley
http://www.avca-sj.org/sober.html
An abstract from the online article Sober Living Houses: Potential
Roles ? ?Sober living houses? are alcohol- and drug-free residences
for individuals attempting to establish or maintain sobriety. They
offer no formal treatment services but do provide social support and
an abstinent living environment. ?Sober living houses? have been used
as aftercare placements for clients completing residential treatment,
places for clients to live while attending outpatient treatment, or as
stand-alone approaches for substance misuse problems. This article
identifies areas of research needing attention and suggests that
?sober living houses? have the potential to play a stronger role in
the continuum of substance misuse services.? The entire article can be
purchased for $22 USD
http://www.dekker.com/servlet/product/DOI/101081JA100102627
Here are the goals of CASL House, Clean and Sober Living since 1985,
Henderson, Nevada :
TO CREATE A CLEAN AND SOBER LIVING ENVIRONMENT THAT PROM0TES
RESPONSIBILITY, RECOVERY AND REPLICATION IN A STRUCTURED MANNER, AS
OPPOSED TO A SHELTER TYPE ATMOSPHERE.
2. TO PROVIDE RESIDENTS FROM POOR MIDDLE CLASS AND WEALTH
NEIGHBORHOODS, A CHANCE TO VALUE THEIR LIVING ACCOMODATIONS AND HAVE
INCENTIVES TO PERMIT A NEW SET OF VALUES TO BE SUBSTITUTED FOR THE
VALUES OF A LIFESTYLE IN WHICH ALCOHOL AND DRUGS WERE USED, ULTIMATELY
HELPING THEMSELVES ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS IN SOBRIETY IN THE COMMUNITY.
3. TO MANAGE A SUCCESSFUL GROUP OF HOMES THAT SHOULD PROMOTE A
P0SITIVE IMPACT IN A COMMUNITY AND ALSO PROVE TO PROVIDE A P0SITIVE
ATM0SPHERE FOR AFTERCARE CANDIDATES UPON RELEASE FROM A TREATMENT
FACILITY AND ULTIMATELY INCREASE THE CHANCES OF RECOVERY.
4. RESTORE SELF-ESTEEM AND SELF-WORTH THROUGH EXERCISING
RESPONSIBILITY HELPING OTHERS, RESOCIALIZING AND CONSTRUCTIVE PRIDE IN
MAINTAINING AN ALCOHOL AND DRUG-FREE LIVING ENVIRONMENT WITHOUT ANY
OUTSIDE AUTHORITY.
5. TO SELECT AND TRAIN INDIVIDUALS TO BE PLACED AS RESIDENT MANAGERS
WHO WILL FOLLOW AND ADHERE TO THE GUIDELINES AND DUTIES SET FORTH.
6. TO OVERSEE OPERATION OF ALL THE HOUSES TO ASSURE THAT THE
ATMOSPHERE IS CONDUCIVE TO RECOVERY AND RUN IN A PROFESSIONAL MANNER,
IN ORDER TO MEET FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
http://communitylink.reviewjournal.com/servlet/lvrj_ProcServ/dbpage=page&GID=04001010550923417266046951&PG=04001010550923418219471371
History:
It seems that ?Pathfinders? of San Diego is California?s oldest
alcohol rehab home, (and the oldest documented sober house found in my
research, in the US) started by several AA members, in 1950 giving
Skid Row alcoholics a sober environment, according to this web site.
http://www.a-1associates.com/AA/san_diego_magazine.htm
The Cabrito House was founded in 1970, for recovering alcoholic men of
Central and West San Fernando Valley.
http://www.cabritohouse.org/History.html
One early California sober living house was begun by Second Chance,
505 16th Street (16th Street and Island Avenue), San Diego., in 1992
Their web site states: ?Acquired a small single-family home for
housing participants?. In 1993 the program acquired the E Street sober
living house.
http://www.secondchanceprogram.org/history.html
Second Chance may have been modeled after Oxford House, P.O. Box 994,
Great Falls, VA 22066-0994. Oxford House began in 1975 for recovering
alcoholics and drug addicts.
Oxford House web site states ?In 1988, Congress enacted P.L. 100-690,
the Anti-Drug Abuse Act. This Act includes a provision requiring all
states to establish a revolving loan fund to provide start-up funds
for groups wishing to open sober living environments based on the
Oxford House model. These loans pay the first month's rent and
security deposit and thereby accelerate the rate at which individual
recovering people can find affordable housing.?
http://www.oxfordhouse.org/history.html
and
http://www.adp.cahwnet.gov/FactSheets/Alcohol-_and_Drug-Free_Housing.pdf
In 1977 a sober house was begun by Boyd Andrew, in Helena, Montana
http://www.boydandrew.com/Boyd%20Andrew%20History.htm
Sober Living
Here is a description of one Sober Living home, Support Systems ?At
Support Systems sober living homes residents safely experience the
transition from higher levels of care back into the community and
day-to-day life with a group of individuals doing the same. Homes are
supervised by a House Manager and assistant who ensure that the sober
living environments offer structure and strong peer support. Clients
work, attend treatment, or attend school during the day and engage in
recovery activities in the evenings.
Some special needs that we are available to assist with include:
·Referral to a vast network of community resources
·Professional Counseling
·Court Liaison Services
·Long-term Aftercare and Recovery planning
·Extensive drug and alcohol education and relapse prevention counseling
Support Systems Homes has Sober Living Environment homes in Campbell,
Cupertino, Los Gatos, Milpitas, San Jose, Santa Clara, San Leandro,
and Fresno, California.?
http://www.supportsystemshomes.com/html/drug-alcohol-treatment.html
Here is the 19 page document ?Standards for Sober Living Environments
in San Diego County? (If by some chance, you can?t open this link, a
copy can be had by calling (619) 692-5727)
http://www.prop36sandiego.org/info/SLE%20Standards%2001-08-03.doc
Some Sober Houses in California
A list of numerous Sober Houses in LA County
http://www.powerproductions.org/womensrecovery/homes.html
Johnny?s House
http://www.jonnyshouse.com/general/splashbody3.htm
How Are Sober Houses Viewed by Americans/Californians in General?
According to this report on Public Outreach, even though some surveys
show that the *idea* of supporting recovering alcoholics and substance
abusers seems to be acceptable, when it comes to actually placing the
house in close proximity, people tend to oppose having a rehab or
sober home as a neighbor. Many folks are afraid of a Sober House
member ?falling off the wagon? and causing problems close to their
home. This is called, as you probably know, the NIMBY (Not In My Back
Yard) Syndrome.
?The opposition is increasingly successful in derailing the
establishment of a new program, and several states have not been able
to open new halfway house facilities for months or years at a time
despite frequent requests for proposals.
Concern for quality and professionalism was mentioned by many.
Programs run by local providers, known to and trusted by the
community, obviously stand the best chance of acceptance.
Intergovernmental department report on Public Outreach and Halfway
Houses,August, 2002
http://www.communitycorrectionsworks.org/ART4WEB-CCC/PDFs%20of%20booklets/Siting-Public%20Outreach.pdf
From Sober.com ?Cities across the nation have tried, often
unsuccessfully, to regulate sober houses and other treatment centers
by enacting stricter zoning requirements, said Ellen Weber, an
assistant professor at the University of Maryland's law school?
"One, [the sober houses] don't have the time or the finances to fight
it, and two, to the extent that they want to have a healthy
environment [for their patients] ... they don't want to put them into
an environment where there's a great deal of hostility and stigma,"
Weber said. "It's a tool to keep people out."
http://www.sober.com/Resources.News.Aspx?ArticleID=13
Not everyone is opposed. This Almaden Valley resident says ?Should a
sober living home be in my neighborhood? I think the answer is yes.
The people attending the treatment offered by a sober living home
could include my spouse, my parents, my children, my neighbors and my
friends, maybe even me. Almaden Valley residents are not immune from
the disease of alcoholism or drug abuse. Our relatives and friends
need to recover where they live, not be driven to other neighborhoods
or communities. I have a friend (a long-time math teacher in San Jose)
whose wife abused medical prescriptions. She was judged a criminal by
the courts, but instead of sending this 65-year-old person to jail,
she received the option of treatment and long-term living in a sober
living home. Because of the gentle treatment by a sympathetic judge,
this productive neighbor has successfully neighbors recover??
http://www.avca-sj.org/sober.html
The NIMBY Report, June, 2002
?Boca Raton City Council issued an edict giving more than a dozen
recovery homes 18 months to get out of town or at least out of its
residential areas. Last month, after the U.S. Department of Justice
requested city records concerning the ban while expressing "serious
concerns" about its legality, Boca officials have quietly (and
unanimously) agreed to defer the ban indefinitely. Since 1988, people
who are in recovery from alcohol or drug addiction have been protected
by the federal Fair Housing Act. Dozens of federal courts have read
the law to prohibit municipalities from using zoning and land use
powers to ban or restrict group homes recovering alcoholics and
addicts. But that hasn't stopped cities like Boca Raton from
continuing to erect barriers, usually in response to neighborhood
opposition to sober living homes. The controversy came to a head on
May 29, when the city council unanimously supported the ban.?
http://www.nlihc.org/nimby/0209.htm
Read some folk?s opinions on this public forum:
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/709777/posts?page=79
This article, about a proposed ?supported living project? reflects
many attitudes towards rehab, sober and halfway houses ?Those who
signed the petition believe that the placement of the Willows Center
on Shields Lane will have a ?harmful effect on our property values
even to the extent of potentially not being able to sell our
properties if and when we need to.? The protestors felt that by
allowing the Willows Project to move forward, the city?s planning
commission was putting nearby residents? ?health and well-being in
jeopardy and robbing us of the right to enjoy a feeling of safety and
peace in our own homes.? The petition also contended that the use of
the property as a supported living center was not in harmony with the
intent of that zone.?
A counselor supports the recuperating residents ?Martha Little, who is
a counselor at Four Corners Mental Health, and works with many of the
proposed residents of the facility said, ?I?d be proud to have them in
my back yard. They are quiet, respectful people. These are people who
need help and who need homes.?
The Moab Utah Times
http://www.moabtimes.com/issues/2002/020627/
I hope this fully answers all your questions, lindafarkas. If any part
of my answer is unclear, or if I have duplicated information you
already had, please request an Answer Clarification, before rating.
This will allow me to assist you further, if possible.
Regards,
crabcakes
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