Sober Living Housing

[Ben Scott]

I'm curious if anyone in the BP community has had experience - good or bad - with renting to sober living tenants. I understand there is some accrediation you need and that you can rent by the room. 

[Lexi Blocksom]

I've never owned one, but I worked in the recovery field with people who did. At least with Oxford House, a group of individuals in recovery would have to find the home to rent and then apply for a charter. They then self-manage the recovery house and you are paid each month from the people renting by the room. I'm sure there's other types of recovery homes that the actual owner can run but this seems to be the most hands-off way to do it. 

You need a pretty decent-sized property (at least 4 bedrooms usually). If you do chose to do it yourself, you'll have to establish house rules, hire staff who are qualified to work in the recovery field, and likely network with rehabs and recovery support groups. Proper management is crucial because this population has high-turnover and can easily damage a property without proper oversight (that's where the qualified staff come in).