What Exactly is a Halfway House?

Simply put, a halfway house is a sober-living environment for addicts and alcoholics in early recovery. Halfway houses help people make the transition from active addiction to responsible member of society.

This transition, from active addiction to the real world, is hard! Looking for a way to support and help ourselves through early sobriety is also pretty tough. Halfway houses help tremendously during early recovery. You can find halfway houses all across the country, but in Delray Beach, FL, they’re a dime a dozen. So, how can you tell the good ones from the bad ones?

How Can Halfway Houses Help?

Halfway houses offer a level of structure and accountability that addicts in early recovery often lack. They offer a safe environment and promote healthy behavior, including:

– Helping to find and maintain employment

– Helping with financial issues (think applying for food stamps, etc.)

– Giving a certain amount of responsibilities (think chores, etc.)

– Providing random drug tests

– Holding regular house meetings (this helps with issues within the house, as well as with personal sobriety)

– Requiring regular meeting attendance (think ninety meetings in ninety days)

– Ensure that you have a sponsor and working the twelve-steps

What Makes a Good Halfway House?

The biggest indicator of a quality halfway house is that it be gender specific. Women with women and men with men! However, there are some larger halfway houses that do offer male and female housing, though they’re usually separated.

A good halfway house has a zero tolerance drug use policy. This means that if a resident relapses, they’re asked to leave, or escorted, off the property immediately.

Structure and consequences also play a key role. To help maintain structure, consequences should be set to reflect it. Consequences are administered on a case-by-case basis, depending on the severity of the situation.

Quality halfway houses have daily curfews. These curfews differ for residents and depend on factors like how long they’ve lived there, and whether it’s a weeknight or the weekend.

The house should be for clients only. This means that while family, sponsors, and sober supports can visit, they need authorization to do so. This maintains privacy, personal safety, and personal valuable safety.

How Much Does a Good Halfway House Cost?

Halfway houses collect rent on a weekly basis. This is beneficial for multiple reasons. First, it helps keep the cost manageable for residents. Second, if a resident relapses and leaves, they won’t lose a ton of money. Rent is generally between $75 and $200 per week.

There’s typically an entrance fee to be admitted to a halfway house, though this isn’t always the case. Entrance fees include first and last week’s rent and a security deposit.

Many, if not all, halfway houses are happy to meet residents at their unique finical level. This may include payment plans, discounts, or even scholarship programs.