But many people still became homeless as facilities closed their doors with little notice or coordinated care for patients, according to advocates. Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat who took office in January 2023, blamed her Republican predecessor, Doug Ducey, for failing to relay the scale of the scheme that persisted for years under his leadership. However, AZCIR and ProPublica found that the leader Hobbs appointed at AHCCCS also stalled a key reform the agency would later credit with helping to stem the fraud. “Our focus remains protecting the populations we serve, ensuring that Arizonans receive the vital care and services they need, and eliminating fraud,” they added. Stewart said she couldn’t comment on how she is helping with the lawsuit, but she has shared the information she has gathered over the years, including the stories of people directly impacted by the fraud. It has been nearly two years since the predatory practice that intentionally targeted Indigenous people by offering them shelter, food and rehabilitation help they never got was exposed and state officials moved to shut it down.
Movement and Recovery
Sober living homes provide critical support for individuals transitioning from structured treatment to everyday life, which is essential for maintaining long-term sobriety. These facilities create a supportive and drug-free environment that mitigates relapse risks while encouraging participation in ongoing treatment resources and mutual aid groups like Alcoholics Anonymous. Living a substance-free lifestyle takes a lifelong commitment, and aftercare—like treatment—is different for everyone.8 For some, a supportive sober living environment makes sense. Residents may be expected to share the costs of water, electricity, trash, internet, and transportation services (if offered) on top of rent each month. Transitioning from a rehab program to integrating back into the real world can be challenging. Sober living homes are equipped with plenty of resources to help you find and maintain a job or continue working toward your educational goals.
Levels and Structure in Sober Living Homes
Tucson Sentinel’s independent nonprofit newsroom is an award-winning journalism pioneer that learns from & informs Southern Arizonans about the community challenges & unique culture of our Borderlands. The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is the state’s only independent, nonpartisan and collaborative nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide, data-driven investigative reporting. AZCIR holds powerful people and institutions accountable by exposing injustice and systemic inequities through investigative journalism. In May, the cap on reimbursement rates went into effect, though it’s not clear what prompted AHCCCS to address vulnerabilities that staff had identified more than a year earlier. An initiative Hobbs introduced as part of her executive budget to help sober living victims is the Sober Living Home Tribal Response Fund, which will direct $7 million to assist tribes in continuing to respond to this crisis. The state’s broad response has been criticized, Hobbs said, https://northiowatoday.com/2025/01/27/sober-house-rules-what-you-should-know-before-moving-in/ but she feels they had to act to shut down the “bad actors” who were at the forefront of the fraud.
- People entering a sober living home have many options to finance their initial stay while working toward gainful employment.
- That summer, AHCCCS staff were wrestling with how to keep providers from reaping huge profits with a single billing code meant for serving people in need of intensive outpatient help for addiction, including counseling.
- Our research team evaluated the 461 best treatment centers for sober living in North America.
- You still need to pay for food and other expenses if you live in an apartment somewhere else.
- These are important steps because routine and personal growth will help the person take their mind off substance abuse, which in turn helps to prevent relapse.
- Fill out a quick form to connect with specialists and explore personalized paths to lasting recovery.
Understanding Sober Living Homes
The state also launched a hotline for people impacted, implemented stricter provider enrollment and rolled out a humanitarian response to help the victims. There also were new initiatives to combat waste, fraud, abuse and exploitation, and legislation to bring transparency and accountability to Arizona’s health care system. First, Living in a Sober House: Fundamental Rules think about your specific needs and where you are in your recovery journey.
Factors influencing the length of stay
For many people, the structure, support and life experience to be gained from these programs becomes a much needed training ground for building a drug-free lifestyle. Some homes include the cost of therapy sessions, drug testing, and other recovery-related services in their fees, while others might charge extra for these. The duration of stay also affects the overall cost, with some homes offering discounts for longer stays. It provides a comprehensive program that includes one-on-one mentoring, medication monitoring, family services, employment support, and money management. Some sober living facilities provide substance-free transitional housing for only men or only women, meaning men live with men and women live with women.
For this reason, many sober living homes encourage residents to find employment or job training to help them integrate paying bills into their routine just as they usually would. This is primarily because they are not considered formal addiction treatment programs. Sober living homes may or may not be accredited or licensed through a state, local, or national agency. The National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR) sets national standards that affiliate agencies can use to certify recovery residences and that individuals can use to find a sober living home with a high standard of care. State, county, and city governments are increasingly regulating sober living homes, so they meet specific standards. For example, poorly maintained and monitored homes charged $1,800 per person in 2002, which, even in Southern California, was far too much money and out of keeping with average rents in the area.
There are several factors that you should consider before deciding where to live after completing a treatment program for a substance use disorder. Finishing a rehab program can come with lots of different feelings—excitement, fear, anxiety, and more. Yes, individuals get to apply all the skills they’ve developed in treatment to real-world situations. However, leaving the structure of formal treatment and entering the unpredictability of real life can be unnerving, too. Sober coaches are trained professionals in addiction recovery who provide support and guidance to those struggling to stay sober.
Police intervened but didn’t yet fully understand what was happening, the state senator said. Her public concerns were voiced nearly six months before Hobbs and Mayes announced the state’s acknowledgment of the fraud. She continues her advocacy efforts to help people impacted by the sober living crisis through her non-profit Turtle Island Women Warriors. Her group, Stolen People Stolen Benefits, prioritizes helping any Indigenous person affected by the ongoing scheme. If you have completed an addiction treatment program and would like help transitioning back into your everyday life, a sober living home may be helpful for you. For some individuals, alternative recovery settings may be necessary, particularly those requiring more specialized care or a different structure to support their sobriety.
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Each sober living home has specific entry requirements, making them more or less appropriate depending on individual circumstances and needs. Factors such as prior treatment experiences, personal lifestyle choices, and mental health conditions also play significant roles in determining fit. In summary, sober living homes effectively support individuals in recovery, helping them integrate their treatment experiences into daily life while navigating the transitional phase post-rehabilitation. Sober living homes provide a robust range of support services designed to facilitate recovery and help residents maintain their sobriety. A fundamental element is peer support, where residents hold each other accountable and share experiences that foster mutual understanding and encouragement. Community engagement plays a significant role in this environment, significantly enhancing individuals’ recovery trajectories.
Insurance should cover certain aspects of addiction treatment, such as individual therapy or outpatient programs, which residents continue to attend while residing in a sober living home. Residents pay rent, follow sober house rules, and participate in recovery activities such as support groups or aftercare programs. Substance use treatment providers may offer oversight in some instances, although this is not always the case. California, however, is leading the way in regulating these facilities, so they do not discriminate, are not discriminated against, and maintain good health and safety standards for residents. Renting in a large city like Los Angeles will be more expensive than in smaller cities, but this is normal.