States fall far short of their duty to meet the health needs of incarcerated people. This is why it’s important to consult your doctor to find the right treatment method for your needs. American Addiction Centers (AAC) is committed to delivering original, truthful, accurate, unbiased, and medically current information. We strive to create content that is clear, concise, and easy to understand.

• Typically, residents of halfway houses may be expected to fulfill house requirements by attending an outpatient treatment program, such as group therapy or 12-step program meetings.
• In a compassionate tone, let’s explore the role, benefits, and significance of halfway houses in the journey of recovery.
• Those with a history of drug trafficking, alcohol addiction, or criminal offense are not allowed entry.
• A recovery residence (sober living home) provides a safe space with an ingrained social support system for post-detox patients following inpatient treatment but during outpatient treatment.
• The living conditions and the number of residents vary in every facility.

What Happens if Someone Violates Halfway House Rules?

Both halfway houses and sober living homes provide transitional residency for young men who have completed rehab but are not year ready to live independently. Additionally, both types of homes have structured environments and the support many young men need in early recovery. The structured environment of halfway houses usually includes support staff like a house manager and medical and mental health professionals. The presence of supportive staff, coupled with residents who are also in a similar stage of their recovery, helps a person develop life and social skills to better cope with the reintegration into society. A halfway house is a community-based accommodation that aims to provide a safe and structured environment for those in recovery from alcohol or substance use. Residents of halfway houses are most often transitioning from an inpatient rehab center or incarceration with the completion of a substance treatment program.

• In a halfway house in New Jersey, around 5,100 convicts have escaped the state’s privately operated facility since 2005.
• Federal halfway houses are designed to help low-risk and high-risk criminals nearing the end of their prison sentences readjust to society.
• These facilities range from entirely carceral to not carceral at all (represented by the locked doors), and feature different priorities and programming for the people residing in them.

Addiction and Mental Health Resources

Someone committed to sobriety can check their local halfway house about any specific recovery milestones that might be recommended before residency. Halfway houses are government-funded programs for former criminals and recovering addicts. While similar in design, sober homes are privately owned organizations.

Contemporary halfway houses

Licensing requirements for a halfway house may include safety regulations, staffing requirements, and standards for care and treatment. While halfway houses offer many benefits, they also come with challenges. Residents must adhere to the house rules, which can be a significant adjustment. There’s also the challenge of living in close quarters with others, which can be difficult for some. In the event a resident violates the halfway house rules, they must move out, sometimes immediately, or return to detox if they lapse or relapse.

The amount of time you’ll stay at a halfway house varies, but most stays are between three to twelve months. This gives you enough time what is a halfway house to get back on your feet, secure a steady job, and feel strong in your sobriety. These media reports are too often the only way we are able to retrieve public information about the internal conditions of halfway houses. From the lived experiences of those who have resided in halfway houses, it is clear that egregious conditions in halfway houses are common. It shouldn’t take exhaustive investigative reporting to unearth the real number of COVID-19 cases in a halfway house.

• As we’ve said, both types of facilities offer resources to the newly sober.
• Many state prison systems have similar facilities that state prisoners can transfer to before completing their prison sentence.
• Halfway homes are managed by licensed drug counselors, therapists, and similar healthcare personnel.
• We came from very humble beginnings, and would love to tell you our story of success and recovery.
• While both offer residents the opportunity to transition back into society, key differences exist between them.