Story Behind Halfway Houses and Where They are Headed

There general process we see now a days looks similar to this. An intervention of some sort takes place whether by a professional interventionist or family member. Once a client is willing to receive help, typically a detox center is notified and the client is scheduled for intake. Upon completing of the detox, a client will then go through an inpatient or residential treatment program which may be 30 days to 180 days in length. After completing treatment a sober living or halfway house is usually recommended in combination with some sort of aftercare plan or intensive outpatient program or IOP.

From the time a client goes into detox to the day they complete their halfway house or sober living commitment, a client should have anywhere between 6 months to 12 months of sobriety or clean time.  This process has been established by treatment professionals through a extensive trial and error process which took decades. We know have a tremendous awareness and understanding of addiction. Just as our understanding has increased so has our levels of care especially when it comes to "halfway houses."

In past years, halfway houses were designed for inmates leaving a jail or prison. Today, they have taken on a new shape, direction and reach. The term halfway initially mean't that once a person came out of jail or prison he or she would stay in a home with other inmates and it was considered a halfway point between being locked up and being integrated back into society. However, addicts and alcoholics are very intelligent people and some saw an opportunity to save their homes from foreclosure by placing other recovering addicts and alcoholics in their homes and charging by the bed. Not only did they save their homes but were able to turn a profit and open another home. Others saw a profitable business model and one that would benefit society and opened up homes and communities of sober homes. Today, there are sober living communities that occupy entire apartment complexes and house 100's of recovering addicts and alcoholics.

We are now seeing more halfway house owners turning their business from sober living into IOP or treatment centers. Some halfway houses are keeping the sober housing model and adding the treatment component on to their current business model. This allows owners to not only collect weekly rent but also bill a client's insurance company for services rendered. This is bringing the quality of care to a new level and greatly benefiting clients by keeping them actively participating in some form of supervised and specialized care. This new method of treatment is reducing relapse rates and increasing success rates for inpatient centers.

If you are considering treatment, we advise you consider going the extra mile and fully committing to the entire process. Each phase has it's own rewards waiting for you. Each phase will add a number or tools and experiences that will greatly benefit your future and recovery. Your life is important and you should consider going from inpatient rehab to sober living and following all recommended aftercare requirements. It will change your life but more importantly it may save your life.