These standards ensure that sober homes provide safe, structured, and supportive environments crucial for long-term recovery. Sober house certification ensures that sober homes meet high standards of safety, support, and effectiveness, creating an environment conducive to long-term recovery for individuals transitioning from addiction treatment to independent living. Sober house certification in Massachusetts is administered by the Massachusetts Alliance for Sober Housing (MASH), the state affiliate of the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR). NARR plays a pivotal role in shaping recovery housing across the United States by setting the national standards that affiliates like MASH implement. NARR’s mission is to improve access to quality recovery residences through these standards, education, and advocacy.
The Willing House
- A significant milestone in MASH’s history occurred in 2011 when the National Alliance for Recovery Residences was founded.
- © 2026 💜 Vanderburgh Sober Living ™ is a cooperative network of independently operated sober living homes organized by The Vanderburgh Foundation, Inc., a registered 501(c)3 Charitable Foundation.
- Each guest can expect a clean bed, sufficient clothing storage, HDTV w/ cable and free wifi in every room inside a clean, well maintained home cared for by the guests who stay there!
- Residents also go to work after the morning activities, while unemployed residents go job hunting.
- The Willing House is the last step before one bridges themselves back to “the real world”, helping people with the disease of addiction move on once they are completely comfortable to leave this environment.
Sandalwood offers a safe and supportive environment for women to focus on recovery. Thank you to Andrea for inviting us to visit and for helping us to make connections in the community so we can provide support to women in need. Thank you to all the women for listening to Sabrina’s story and all the offers of help. It is an alternative to going from an immersive care environment straight to a totally unstructured environment at home. Sober living homes replicate normal, everyday life situations while instilling healthy habits and helping the individual better their lives through employment or education. Catholic Charities’ services can be particularly beneficial for individuals transitioning from treatment to sober living, as they work to restore financial stability and secure long-term housing.
- Massachusetts Alliance for Sober Housing (MASH) serves as the primary agency for accountability of all certified homes in Massachusetts.
- MASH also belongs to another non-profit organization on the national level, the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR).
- It is a feeling.” Our certified sober homes take pride in offering a home-like environment that supports recovery.
- Power Forward is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping individuals in early recovery by providing financial assistance for sober living in Massachusetts.
ATR: Access to Recovery Funding for Sober Living

This house offers all the structure and support you find at The Farm with a focus on more of a “graduate” program. VSL’s Operator CommunityTap into the VSL community for hands-on training, proven resources, and trusted partners to accelerate your success. Recovery Housing Leadership AcademyLearn how to launch, certify, and lead a successful recovery home through a focused, nine-part expert training series. (v) verify good standing with regard to local, mash sober housing state and federal laws and any regulations and ordinances including, but not limited to, building, maximum occupancy, fire safety and sanitation codes. Women move through distinct program phases as they progress and prepare to reintegrate into the community.
- Contrarily, tenants of halfway houses must spend the required number of days before they can go.
- The women here support one another by holding each other accountable, asking for help when needed, and celebrating each other’s successes.
- Seasonal offerings like rowing, kayaking, and sailing, along with tradition holistic pursuits, like massage, Reiki, Tai-Chi, Qigong and meditation are all designed to bring joy back into a person’s life.
- We believe in working a recovery continuum that best suits each individual.
Minnesota Association of Sober Homes
The primary mission of the Minnesota Association of Sober Homes is to promote the establishment, successful management, and growth of high quality community-based sober-living residences. It is a feeling.” Our certified sober homes take pride in offering a home-like environment that supports recovery. Certified sober homes have comfortable spaces for living, sleeping, and engaging with peers, all of which make them valuable and safe spaces for recovery. In 2014, legislation in Massachusetts further validated MASH’s efforts by creating Twelve-step program a formal, voluntary certification for sober homes.
Condensed MASH Home Inspection Checklist

Contrarily, tenants of halfway houses must spend the required number of days before they can go. Since most residents got sent to the halfway house by court judgment, leaving before the predetermined departure date is a crime. Sober living homes are usually privately owned, while halfway houses are primarily government-owned. It is also common for religious bodies and other non-profit organizations to establish sober living homes and oversee the house’s activities.
Recovery Housing Program (RHP)

However, halfway houses look like dormitories, with residents occupying rooms in pairs. Consequently, residents of sober living homes typically pay higher fees than those at halfway houses due to higher standards. This link includes an updated list of certified sober homes, the certification standards, a certification application for with instructions and how to file a grievance. Vanderburgh Sober Living (VSL) is a network of independently operated sober homes organized and supported by the Vanderburgh Foundation, a registered 501(c)3 Charitable Foundation.
In Massachusetts, sober homes and recovery residences are https://ecosoberhouse.com/ different models for substance abuse recovery. Recovery residences —formerly known as halfway houses — are licensed residential treatment programs, while Massachusetts sober homes are peer-led and do not provide treatment. Sober homes provide mutual support, emphasize independent living skills, and depend on peer leadership. Project NORTH (Navigating Opioid Recovery Through Housing) provides financial support to individuals recovering from opioid use disorder (OUD) who need help covering the cost of sober living in MASH-certified sober houses.
