Description of respondents
Table 1 provides descriptive information on the survey respondents (N = 77). The survey respondents were located in 29 unique states, approximately 18% (N = 14) were located in a rural community and nearly a third of respondents (31%) were located in the Midwest region of the United States. Nearly half (45%) of respondents reported being the owner of the residence or organization, and 43 (56%) reported being NARR certified. Technical assistance provided in real-time was overwhelmingly preferred by respondents, either in-person (64% preferred) or via webinar (60% preferred); approximately a third of respondents said they prefer asynchronous video training (35%), and 21% said they preferred text or digital training materials.
Table 1
Description of survey respondents, by number of operated recovery residences, 2019.
| Overall | # of Residences | P-value | |
1 Residence | 2 + Residence | |
| N | % | N | % | N | % | | |
Total respondents | 77 | 100 | 29 | 38 | 48 | 62 | | |
Role | | | | | | | 0.467b | |
Owner | 35 | 45 | 15 | 52 | 20 | 42 | | |
Manager | 15 | 19 | 5 | 17 | 10 | 21 | | |
Professional Staff | 10 | 13 | 5 | 17 | 5 | 10 | | |
Other | 17 | 22 | 4 | 14 | 13 | 27 | | |
NARR Certified | | | | | | | 0.571a | |
Yes | 43 | 56 | 15 | 52 | 28 | 58 | | |
No | 34 | 44 | 14 | 48 | 20 | 42 | | |
Rural (vs. urban) | 14 | 18 | 6 | 21 | 8 | 17 | 0.764b | |
Region | | | | | | | 0.537b | |
Southeast | 21 | 27 | 7 | 24 | 14 | 29 | | |
Northeast | 21 | 27 | 7 | 24 | 14 | 29 | | |
Midwest | 24 | 31 | 12 | 41 | 12 | 25 | | |
West | 11 | 14 | 3 | 10 | 8 | 17 | | |
TA Format Preferencesc | | | | | | | | |
Live - in-person | 49 | 64 | 19 | 66 | 30 | 63 | 0.790a | |
Live - web-based | 46 | 60 | 18 | 62 | 28 | 58 | 0.746a | |
Asynchronous video | 27 | 35 | 10 | 34 | 17 | 35 | 0.934a | |
Text/digital | 16 | 21 | 5 | 17 | 11 | 23 | 0.773b | |
Notes: a= Pearson's chi-square test; b= Fisher's exact test; c= Categories are not mutually exclusive |
A total of 29 (38%) respondents operated only one recovery residence, and 48 (62%) respondents operated two or more residences. Half (52%) of single-residence respondents were owners (N = 15) compared to 40% of those with 2 + residences. NARR certification was fairly equivalent between the 2 + recovery residence operators compared with single-house operators (58% vs. 52%, respectively).
Interest In Technical Assistance
Table 2
Areas of technical assistance interest, by number of recovery residences, 2019
| Overall (N = 77) | # of Residences | P-value | |
1 Residence (N = 29) | 2 + Residences (N = 48) | |
| N | % | N | % | N | % | | |
Business Policiesc | | | | | | | | |
Establishing recovery house sustainability funding plans/models | 54 | 70 | 18 | 62 | 36 | 75 | 0.230a | |
Establishing or incorporating quality standards and best practices for recovery | 45 | 58 | 16 | 55 | 29 | 60 | 0.651a | |
Risk management for recovery housing operators | 36 | 47 | 17 | 59 | 19 | 40 | 0.105a | |
Staff and resident orientation | 31 | 40 | 12 | 41 | 19 | 40 | 0.876a | |
General house management | 29 | 38 | 14 | 48 | 15 | 31 | 0.135a | |
Creating medication assisted recovery policies | 23 | 30 | 7 | 24 | 16 | 33 | 0.393a | |
Obtaining certification for my recovery residences | 23 | 30 | 9 | 31 | 14 | 29 | 0.862a | |
Creating prescription medication use policies | 21 | 27 | 5 | 17 | 16 | 33 | 0.187b | |
Owner/Operator liability and insurance | 15 | 19 | 6 | 21 | 9 | 19 | 0.835a | |
Understanding and implementing good neighbor policies | 13 | 21 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 21 | 0.349b | |
Meeting fire and safety standards | 6 | 8 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 0.667b | |
Community Policiesc | | | | | | | | |
Creating partnerships with state and local government stakeholders | 46 | 60 | 16 | 55 | 30 | 63 | 0.525a | |
Creating partnerships with other referral agencies | 44 | 57 | 17 | 59 | 27 | 56 | 0.839a | |
Participating in local and statewide conversations among systems of care providers | 44 | 57 | 17 | 59 | 27 | 56 | 0.839a | |
Creating partnerships with mental health and substance use treatment providers | 41 | 53 | 18 | 62 | 23 | 48 | 0.228a | |
Creating partnerships with other recovery homes and recovery support providers | 33 | 43 | 14 | 48 | 19 | 40 | 0.455a | |
Understanding the Fair Housing Act | 30 | 39 | 10 | 34 | 20 | 42 | 0.531a | |
Understanding and addressing NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) sentiment | 24 | 31 | 10 | 34 | 14 | 29 | 0.626a | |
Services TA Typec | | | | | | | | |
Incorporating evidence-based best practices into your recovery planning model | 50 | 65 | 18 | 62 | 32 | 67 | 0.682a | |
Incorporating trauma informed care into recovery practices | 46 | 60 | 15 | 52 | 31 | 65 | 0.265a | |
Understanding and incorporating recovery capital into recovery models | 41 | 53 | 12 | 41 | 29 | 60 | 0.105a | |
Supporting various special populations | 35 | 45 | 16 | 55 | 19 | 40 | 0.183a | |
Understanding the social recovery model | 34 | 44 | 12 | 41 | 22 | 46 | 0.703a | |
Creating accountability standards and processes | 31 | 40 | 11 | 38 | 20 | 42 | 0.746a | |
Establishing home-like residential environment | 16 | 21 | 8 | 28 | 8 | 17 | 0.252a | |
Notes: a= Pearson's chi-square test; b= Fisher's exact test; c= Categories are not mutually exclusive |
Table 2 summarizes the results related to the respondents’ interest in specific areas of technical assistance overall, and by the number of residences operated. Regarding training in the area of business policies, the most frequent areas of TA need include policies related to establishing recovery house sustainability funding plans/models (70% of all respondents), with owners/operators of multiple recovery residences expressing more interest than owners/operators of single residences (75% vs. 62%, respectively). Training interest on the establishment or incorporation of quality standards and best practices for recovery was expressed by over one-half of all respondents (58%), equivalent between the owners/operators of single recovery residences, and owners/operators of multiple residences. More operators of only one residence expressed interest in TA pertaining to primary house operations, such as risk management (p < 0.25), and general house management (p < 0.25). More operators with more than one residence expressed interest in TA related to sustainability funding models (p < 0.25), and policies pertaining to prescription medication use (p < 0.25).
Regarding community engagement training needs, the technical assistance areas of greatest overall interest were creating partnerships with state and local government stakeholders (60%), other referral agencies (57%), and mental health and substance use treatment providers (53%). Respondents were also interested in technical assistance related to participating in local and statewide conversations among systems of care providers (57% overall). Single residence respondents were more interested in receiving technical assistance focused on creating partnerships with mental health and substance use treatment providers (p < 0.25) compared to owners/operators of multiple residences.
Overall, the most commonly endorsed technical assistance focus areas related to service delivery were for training on how to incorporate evidence-based practices (65%), trauma-informed care (60%), and recovery capital (53%) into resident recovery planning. More owners/operators of single residences were interested in TA related to supporting special populations (p < 0.25), while more owners/operators of multiple recovery residences wanted TA related to incorporating recovery capital into their residences’ recovery practices (p < 0.25).
Table 3 summarizes common themes in respondent responses related to their community’s response to recovery housing, operator challenges, and need for additional resources. Most respondents shared that their respective communities responded positively to their residence(s) (53%). The majority of single-residence respondents expressed mostly positive responses from the community (72%), whereas respondents with two or more residences were evenly split between positive (42%) and mixed/negative (46%) responses. Indeed, more owners/operators of multiple recovery residences reported experiencing “not in my backyard” (NIMBY) sentiment more than single residence respondents (21% vs. 14%, respectively). For example, one operator of multiple recovery residences shared that while opening a new recovery residence, residents in the community expressed concern over “a decline in property values, increased crime, and safety of children.” This underscores the greater interest in technical assistance on NIMBY by respondents with multiple residences as shown in Table 2.
Table 3
Identification of common community response themes, challenges, and resources among survey respondents, 2019
| Overall (N = 77) | # of Residences |
1 Residence (N = 29) | 2 + Residences (N = 48) |
| N | % | N | % | N | % |
Community Response | | | | | | |
Attitude toward residence | | | | | | |
Positive | 41 | 53 | 21 | 72 | 20 | 42 |
Mixed | 21 | 27 | 5 | 17 | 16 | 33 |
Negative | 8 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 13 |
Missing Data | 7 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 13 |
Not in My Backyard (NIMBY) sentiment | 14 | 18 | 4 | 14 | 10 | 21 |
Education to build awareness of RRs | 25 | 32 | 9 | 31 | 16 | 33 |
Challenges | | | | | | |
Lack of sustainable funding for operations | 31 | 40 | 9 | 31 | 22 | 46 |
Lack of sustainable funding for residents | 22 | 29 | 8 | 28 | 14 | 29 |
Difficulty in linkage to and collaboration with established systems of care | 20 | 26 | 11 | 38 | 9 | 19 |
Absence of RR best practices | 26 | 34 | 8 | 28 | 18 | 38 |
Resources | | | | | | |
Need for increased funding for RRs | 33 | 43 | 10 | 35 | 23 | 48 |
Need for financial assistance for residents | 13 | 17 | 6 | 21 | 7 | 15 |
Need for technology to increase awareness and utilization of RRs | 11 | 14 | 5 | 17 | 6 | 13 |
Need for technical assistance/training | 14 | 18 | 4 | 14 | 10 | 21 |
For both single and multiple residence respondents, community education was critical to building initial awareness, counteracting NIMBYism, and garnering community support for their recovery residence(s) (data not shown). One owner/operator shared that the key to fostering community support was “building relationships with key agencies, and not being secretive yet protecting residents, allowing them to remain anonymous, but also greeting our neighbors, letting them know what we are doing….” Several other respondents mentioned using house tours and hosting community events as successful methods to engage and educate their communities about the purpose of recovery residence(s). However, some respondents reported they had implemented avoidance strategies, such as initially keeping a low profile and avoiding commercial zones as effective methods for avoiding a negative response from their community.
Three primary themes emerged from respondents’ description of the challenges they face: funding, development and implementation of best practices, and linkage to established systems of care. More multi-residence respondents than single residents respondents emphasized that the current lack of sustainable funding available for housing operations is a major barrier (46% vs. 31%, respectively). As stated by one respondent, “sustainable funding has been a challenge and my organization has been in business for 58 years… without sustainability, there is no opportunity for growth.” This correlates with the greater interest expressed by multiple residence respondents in establishing recovery housing sustainability funding models compared to single residence owners/operators (Table 2). Both single and multiple residence respondents identified a lack of sustainable funding for incoming and current residents. Some respondents highlighted the need for specific resources such as monthly scholarships for vulnerable populations (e.g., prison re-entry, homeless, pregnant) and additional funding needed to assist recovery residents with transitioning to permanent housing. Similar to the results reported in Table 2, compared with single residence respondents, more of those with multiple residences expressed concern over the current absence of best practices for recovery housing operations (38% vs. 28%, respectively).
Single residence respondents more so than multiple residence respondents expressed difficulty in linking to and collaborating with established systems of care during and after a recovery resident’s stay (38% vs. 19%, respectively). This mirrors the greater interest in training related to creating partnerships with mental health and substance use treatment providers expressed by single residence respondents (Table 2). Specifically, respondents expressed that they felt that they were competing with addiction treatment systems, and that RRs were often rejected as a critical element within the continuum of care by key stakeholders: “those that have had the lead for so long need to be educated in recovery support services.” Single residence respondents shared difficulties in collaborating with established systems of care or being able to identify appropriate community partners from the outset of the establishment of their residence.
Related to the resources that respondents perceived a need for, more multi-residence respondents emphasized increased state and federal funding dedicated to RRs, while single residence respondents were interested in direct financial assistance to residents. The need for technical assistance related to the development of house manager training materials, medication policies and instruction, effective intake processes, and developing “responsible provider communities” were expressed equally by single- and multi-residence respondents. Additionally, both groups expressed a need for technology that can support awareness and use of RRs among individuals with SUD as well as other key stakeholders, and that can improve recruitment of new residents and tracking of both resident and house outcomes. For example, one respondent recommended creating a database “where people could find a facility that best fit their individual needs”. Another respondent expressed a need for “some sort of centralized component that provides training, support and oversight of practice.”