The company’s lawyer has filed a counterclaim in that case, saying that the city is illegally discriminating against people with substance use disorders by taking an unusually aggressive code enforcement approach. In the meantime, the company has agreed to limit the property’s occupancy to five residents while it addresses other code violations. The injunction is the latest incremental development in a broader enforcement drive. The city has brought at least one other sober house to court this year for similar violations. And in June, officials sent letters to more than a dozen properties offering addiction recovery services, telling them they need a rooming house license. A list of all sober houses in Massachusetts on Sober House Directory is available here.
Everything You Need to Open Your Sober Living Home in Massachusetts
- Products addressed in MASH include longitudinal barriers, transitions, end terminals, crash cushions, breakaway supports, truck mounted attenuators, and work zone traffic control devices.
- Are you a state agency, licensed provider, individual, or family looking for a MASH-certified sober home?
- It can be very difficult to find funding for sober living home projects in any state, and Massachusetts is no different.
Sober living home information is provided by sober house operators. We try to provide current information but cannot monitor every recovery home listing and do not guarantee the accuracy of listings. Sober House Directory is a helpful starting place to find a recovery home and includes listings for sober houses, recovery residences, structured group homes, and other sober living for men and women in recovery.
Physical Environment Domain
- Sober house certification in Massachusetts is managed by the Massachusetts Alliance for Sober Housing (MASH), the state affiliate of the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR).
- Additionally, notice will be going to identified sober homes of this effective date.
- A list of all sober houses in Massachusetts on Sober House Directory is available here.
- This Training is currently at full capacity, to join the waitlist click here.
This alignment with NARR standards helped MASH strengthen its certification process and expand its influence across the state. Transition (e.g. entry, phase movement and exit) rituals promote residents’ sense of belonging and confer progressive status and increasing opportunities within the recovery living environment and community. About 100 people attended a Ward 5 neighborhood meeting on sober houses in June, where many residents called on the city to crack down on the unregulated properties. Officials at the meeting said anti-discrimination laws limited mash certified sober homes what they could do. We regularly inspect all member sober homes to ensure safety, quality, and the building of a community of recovery. While the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS) in Massachusetts is responsible for certifying all addiction treatment programs in the state, it does not certify sober living homes.
Sober House Certification in Massachusetts
- But some sober houses are more sober than others, recovery advocates say, and the worst ones can be hotspots for relapses and overdoses.
- Documentation that residents are oriented to emergency procedures.19.d.
- D’Amante argued that he did not count as an occupant under the state sprinkler law because he was the building’s proprietor, saying the city’s fire chief had told him so.
- Some residents were deeply concerned that D’Amante and one other resident of the property are registered sex offenders.
- 24.b Ongoing performance support and training are provided for staff.
- NEW BEDFORD — City officials achieved a minor victory in their push to enforce building codes in sober houses.
If you are looking for recovery resources in Massachusetts, please visit our Massachusetts Sober House Recovery Resources page. Additionally, MASH offers funding through its various grant programs to support sober housing initiatives. For example, the organization has facilitated significant investments in the expansion of permanent supportive housing across Massachusetts. Through these grants, MASH addresses critical needs, including helping individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness find stable housing.
- Initially, MASH focused on creating a voluntary certification process that would ensure sober homes in Massachusetts provided safe, supportive, and structured environments for individuals in recovery.
- However, in 2021, MassHousing awarded over $ to sober living homes, or “substance-free housing units.” MassHousing is a quasi-public affordable housing agency in Massachusetts so its shift in focus to recovery housing is unusual.
- Operator will attest that electrical, mechanical, and structural components of the property are functional and free of fire andsafety hazards.
Evidence that residents have opportunities to be heard in the governance of the residence; however, decision making remains with the operator. Policies and procedures that keep residents’ records secure, with access limited to authorized staff. Read more about sober living home strategy and management in our blog post, Everything You Need to Open Your Sober Living Home in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Alliance for Sober Housing or MASH is the NARR affiliate in Massachusetts responsible for overseeing the state’s certification program. Unlike other NARR affiliates, MASH originated with the state government and later became a non-profit organization.
It remains optional, but certification is the only path to gaining access to referrals from addiction treatment providers in the state. This includes state entities like drug court, the MA Department of Corrections, parole officers, probation officers, the MA Department of Children and Families, and Section 35 referrals. Sober living home referrals from behavioral health providers such as detox, facilities, hospitals, psychiatric units, and the VA are also constrained by the certification requirement in Massachusetts. Please use the link to access information on Sober Housing Certification.
