By running Oxford House on a democratic basis, members of Oxford House become able to accept the authority of the group because the group is a peer group. Each member has an equal voice in the group and each has an opportunity to relearn responsibility and to accept decisions once they are made. Today Oxford House has more than 20,000 residents at more than 3,500 homes across 47 states and several foreign countries. Instead of being left to their own fates, Mr. Molloy and other residents decided to take over the house themselves, paying the expenses and utilities, cooking the meals and keeping watch over one another’s path to recovery. For a couple of months in 1975, he found himself living on the streets and begging strangers for money before he entered a rehabilitation program.
Business meetings
The application is then considered by the membership of the House and if 80% of the members approve, the applicant is accepted and moves in. If an applicant does not get voted into one house they should try another house in the area. More than 80 percent of Oxford House residents remain clean and sober for the long term even though many of them come from backgrounds that have included lengthy alcohol and drug use, periods of homelessness, and incarceration. In its simplest form, an Oxford House is a shared residence where people in recovery from substance use disorder can live together and support each other in a drug and alcohol-free environment. An Oxford House member can stay as long as they like, provided they stay drug and alcohol free and pay their share of house expenses.
- Plus, this option may actually be cheaper than other housing environments given the fact that residents split the household costs among several residents.
- If a resident relapses, they are usually asked to leave the house immediately to protect the sobriety of other residents.
- Each House represents a remarkably effective and low cost method of preventing relapse.
- One of the greatest threats to the sobriety of a recovering alcoholic or drug addict is loneliness.
- Call the house you are interested in directly to find out about vacancies, or be put on a waiting list.
How Much Does an Oxford House Cost?
In this respect, they are similar to a college fraternity, sorority, or a small New England town. Officers have fixed terms of office to avoid bossism or corruption of egalitarian democracy. Every member has an equal vote regardless of how long they've been there. The Oxford House Model is shared, studied, and growing because oxford houses it works. It continues to stand the test of time as a leading model in sober living. To learn more about different types of recovery housing and their accreditation, you can visit the National Association of Recovery Residences (NARR) website.
The Oxford House Model provides a community based, supportive, and sober living environment.
He moved to a county-run halfway house in Silver Spring, MD, to recover but soon learned that the facility was about to close. Experience Sober living house of Oxford House has shown that from 8 to 15 members works very well. Oxford House will not charter a house with fewer than six individuals because experience has shown that it takes at least six individuals to form an effective group. We also provide financial assistance (if needed) for individuals who wish to move into or relocate to an Oxford House. Each House represents a remarkably effective and low cost method of preventing relapse. This was the purpose of the first Oxford House established in 1975, and this purpose is served, day by day, house after house, in each of over 2500 houses in the United States today.
Each Oxford House follows three simple rules.
The concept and the standardized, democratic, self-supported Oxford House system of operations itself are far more persuasive than any individual. Be honest and straight-forward when sharing the Oxford House concept with others. The reason that each Oxford House is independent arises from the very practical consideration that those who are closest to a situation are best able to manage it. If an Oxford House follows the democratic principles and traditions of Oxford House, Inc., it should have no difficulty in running smoothly. Those democratic principles will also enable the members of a particular Oxford House to take pride in their new found responsibility. However, the members of Oxford House have found only by being active in AA and/or NA have they found comfortable, long-term sobriety -- for themselves and the Oxford House in which they live.
- An Oxford House member can stay as long as they like, provided they stay drug and alcohol free, are not disruptive, and pay their share of house expenses.
- To learn more about the importance of recovery housing, you can read this NIDA article on recovery housing.
- They will return to their families; they may start new families; they may simply move into another living situation.
- Oxford House, Inc. is a separate nonprofit organization that employs field staff to provide technical assistance to the network of houses to help expand the Oxford House Model.
- Everything your Oxford House needs in order to run successful house meetings.
- Oxford House, Inc. provides technical assistance to foster the expansion of the Oxford House Model.
- At any given time there are about 2,000 Oxford House residents who have served in the military.
What is the Model?
An underlying principle of Oxford House is that each individual member has the ability to be responsible for himself. Living within an Oxford House provides both the opportunity and motivation for all residents to regularly attend AA and/or NA meetings. The example of Oxford House members going to AA or NA meetings on their own is contagious.
Learn about Oxford House
- Each house is self-run and self-supported following a standardized system of democratic operation.
- Alcoholism and drug addiction are international problems and Oxford Houses can provide recovering individuals the opportunity to become comfortable enough in sobriety to avoid relapse.
- We collaborate with our community partners to provide furniture donations, guidance and technical support on an on-going basis.
- The members of an Oxford House assume full responsibility for the operation of the House.
When we stopped drinking or using drugs, we began to realize just how dependent we had become. For those of us who had been in institutions or half-way houses, resentments against authority were common. Some of us had lived for a time in alcoholic and drug rehabilitation facilities. Those facilities provided us with shelter, food, and therapy for understanding alcoholism.
Find manuals, forms, and other resources from Oxford House.
At any given time there are about 2,000 Oxford House residents who have served in the military. During the course of a year more than 4,000 veterans will live in an Oxford House. Some houses are all veterans but primarily veterans are integrated into the normal Oxford House population. Access To Recovery is the trusted and first community-funded backbone to the Oxford House name in Rhode Island.
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We specialize in working closely with each individual house to ensure it's success. We collaborate with our community partners to provide furniture donations, guidance and technical support on an on-going basis. The number of residents in a house may range from six to fifteen; there are houses for men, houses for women, and houses which accept women with children. Oxford Houses flourish in metropolitan areas such as New York City and Washington D.C. And thrive in such diverse communities as Hawaii, Washington State, Canada and Australia; but they all abide by the basic criteria. We’ll show you how Oxford Houses work together to form a self-supporting network of houses.
How do Oxford Houses operate, and what makes them unique in the sober living community?
You can stay as long as you like, provided you don't use drugs and alcohol, are not disruptive, and pay your share of house expenses. An Oxford House Chapter is an additional level of support for individual Oxford Houses. Chapters are important links in making the democratic system of organization underlying Oxford House™ work. The Chapter is the place where all the members of the Oxford House family of individual houses help each other to stay on track and to remain effective. The Chapter is also the place where individuals expand their network of sober friends as Chapters host all kinds of social events that bring their community together. Our network of houses is only as strong as the community support we receive and the involvement of current and former members.