Recovery Residence Certification

The National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR) sets national fidelity standards for recovery residences by curating best practices from across the United States. NARR's Standards Committee continues to review and periodically publishes new versions of the standard to reflect the growing knowledge base and in response to the evolving marketplace. The current version of the NARR standards can be found here.

Through this process, NARR has identified 4 distinct types of recovery residences, known as the 4 Levels of Support. One level is not better than another, rather they collectively map a continuum of support that cost effectively meets individuals' needs as they move through a nonlinear recovery process.

Based on the standards, NARR licenses a certification program to designated state affiliate organizations, such as TROHN.

Recovery residence certification

1. Empowers individual, family, referral agent and funder choices by distinguishing certified recovery residences
2. Promotes resident’s rights with a grievance process
3. Informs community-wide asset mapping and recovery-oriented system of care strategic planning
4. Offers providers a blueprint to best practices and the ability to legitimize themselves in the marketplace

NARR standards  [pdf] The National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR) has and continues to curate best practices, which is the basis for the quality standards. Recovery housing can be traced back to the 1840s, and today, they can be found across the US. Starting in the 1950s/60s, the Association of Halfway House Alcoholism Programs (AHHAP) formed to promote quality. In the 1970s and 80s, regional provider organizations began forming to create regional and state standards and certification programs. Fast forward to 2011, NARR formed and developed a national standard with the input of representatives from 15 different states. In 2013, NARR and AHHAP merged, making NARR the largest and oldest organization of its kind. The NARR standards represent the collective wisdom from across the US and across time. In 2015, a major revision of the standard was ratified and published on the NARR website.

Levels of Support  [pdf] With its national perspective, NARR developed a standardized nomenclature and philosophical framework inclusive of four different types of recovery residences, known as levels of support.

Myth buster – The Levels are not a rating system. One type or level of support is not better than another. From the standard, you can see that they all share many traits in common. They differ in the type and intensity of services and supports that they provide in order to match the diverse and changing needs of priority population. Even within a Level of Support, there is a great deal of program diversity, quality and price. Texas is fortunate in that it is home to arguably the most diversity within Levels as compared to other states in the nation.

What population do you serve? – In general, higher levels of support are more appropriate for higher needs populations. For example, someone reentering the community from a decade long prison sentence or someone with a history of chronic homelessness, likely needs a higher Level of Support than a middle aged, corporate executive with 90 days of sobriety.

Different standards for different Levels – [pdf] As you familiarize yourself with the NARR standards, you will notice that some of the standards only apply to specific Levels of Support. Use the standard to cross reference and determine which standards apply to the Level of Support you provide.

What Level am I?  [pdf]  This is one of the most common questions that providers ask. Categorizing your recovery residence into a Level of Support is based on a number of variables that are rooted in the standards. Providers can use this Levels flowchart to do a preliminary self assessment. TROHN will officially categorize a recovery residence’s Level of Support based on the information submitted in the application and/or through follow-up interviews. If a provider disagrees with their Levels classification, a formal peer review process will be provided.

Document Checklist [link]  The certification process is not difficult, but it is very detailed. You should familiarize yourself with the application and the documents you will be required to upload. The application will accept a wide variety of file formats including jpg, jpeg, gif, png, bmp, tif, psd, pdf, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, and txt. The server can typically handle uploading 10 to 20 MB of data. If you documents exceed this amount, you can mail them with a cover letter with pertinent information to: SoberHood, PO Box 4616, Austin, TX 78765.

Online Application

To streamline the process, TROHN has broken the certification application down into sections:

• Section 1: Recovery Residence Provider – (one per provider) This online application captures general policies and procedures across the entire organization, whether the provider has one recovery home or operates multiple homes across multiple levels of support.
• Section 2: Level of Support – (one per level of support) This online application captures information that tends to be specific to the level of support that is being provided. A single provider may provide one or more Levels of Support. If only one Level of Support is provided, only one Section 2 should be completed. If two Levels of Support are provided, then a Section 2 application should be completed for each Level of Support.

Invoice and Payment

Once TROHN receive an application, we will email an invoice to the provider with payment options and instructions.

How often does certification occur?

As per NARR’s guidelines, TROHN certifies annually.

How much certification cost?

Annual certification TROHN certification is $200 + $10 per bed capacity + $50 onsite inspection. This base price includes:

• Reviewing a Section 1 application (one per provider)
• Reviewing a single Section 2 application (one per Level of Support)
• Onsite inspection of one dwelling.
• Processing grievances that are elevated to the State Affiliate Level
• Posting the provider on the TROHN website

For example, ABC Recovery Home is a 10-bed Level 2 women’s home. The annual cost for certifying ABC Recovery Home is $350, which includes $200 to review both the Section 1 and Section 2 online applications, $10 x 10 bed ($100) and $50 for the onsite inspections. This averages out to be $35 per bed per year.

Potential added cost:

• Online or credit card payments will include an additional fee. To avoid transaction fees, payments can be mailed to SoberHood, PO Box 4616, Austin, TX 78765
• For providers who offer more than one Level of Support, additional Section 2 application submissions will cost $100 per additional submission.
• For providers with more than one dwelling, the cost of inspecting additional dwellings is $50. Alternatively, a provider with duplexes, fourplexes, campuses or apartment complexes can choose a $50 per hour option. If an inspector has to re-inspect a home due to failing a previous on-site inspection, the cost is $50 per dwelling.
• To expedite an on-site inspection, travel costs may be be incurred and/or shared across a group of providers in a local area.

For example, XYZ Recovery LLC operates a 12-bed Level 3 mens home as well as two 10-bed Level 2 mens homes. The cost for certifying all of XYZ recovery residences is $770 per year. That average out to $24.06 per bed per year.

• $200 to review the Section 1 application and Section 2 application for the Level 3 program
• $100 to review the Section 2 for the Level 2 program
• $320 for the total bed capacity: (12 beds + 10 beds + 10 beds) x $10
• $150 for the inspection of 3 properties over two years: ($50 x 3 properties)

This averages out to be only $24.06 per bed per year.

NOTE: Certification is all or none. A provider must certify all eligible recovery residences, meaning a provider cannot certify a “flagship” property while operating their remaining recovery homes below the national standard. If a provider operates other types of properties, such as an assisted living home, the “all or none” rule does not apply the houses that are not recovery residences. If a provider operates an intensive residential treatment program, the licensed treatment center would not have to be certified as a recovery residence as long as it does not advertise itself as a recovery residence (e.g. Level 4).

Once TROHN receives payment, we will begin reviewing the application against the NARR standards. Follow-up emails or phone calls may be needed to get clarification on specific information. Once the review process has been completed, TROHN will email the provider with the results, including any standard deficits, concerns or recommendations as well as the Level of Support determination.

On-site inspection of each residential dwelling is conducted once a year. There are certain portions of the NARR standard that are specific to each residence and can only be evaluated in person and on-site. It is highly recommended that a provider reviews the onsite inspection packetprior to the site visit to avoid failing the inspection and having to pay for another onsite visit.

Inspections are conducted by TROHN staff or by Inspectors trained and designated by TROHN to conduct the On-site Inspections. Scheduling an inspection will be based on availability and minimizing cost.

TROHN will email the provider a copy of the On-site Inspection with any deficits, concerns and recommendations.

Once a provider has met all the standard requirements of a Level of Support, based on data collected from the online application, on-site inspection and if needed, follow-up documentation, a certification will be emailed to the provider and they will be listed on TROHN.org

Certifications are valid for two years, meaning provide must become re-certifed every other year (biennially).

TROHN will send out an reminder prior.