In the past couple of years, there have been a lot of talk about sober livings. Here are the 3 trends happening in the industry:
1) Voluntary Certification
Non-profit associations are being formed in order to impose an application and certification process. To get certified, sober livings must comply with the standards set by the association. Most associations follow NARR’s (National Association of Recovery Residences) standards. You can read about them here. Most also charge a fee to be a part of the association. There are associations in Massachusetts, California, Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and many more.
2) Competition
Given that more and more people are aware of what a sober living is, more and more of them are popping up. People outside the industry hear that there is a way to rent to more than 1 tenant, and they automatically think that this “strategy” will maximize their profits. But it is not only people outside the industry that are opening sober livings, many people who are in recovery themselves see sober livings as a way to give back, help those that are struggling with recovery and also make a living. It is relatively easy to open a sober livings and you don’t need much cash to open the doors. The caveat is that while easy to open due to a lack of regulation, they are incredibly hard to run if you do not know what you are doing. According to the LA Times, the number of sober livings has more than doubled between 1990 and 2000.
3) Increased awareness of sober living
Every day there is an article about the opioid crisis that is plaguing our country. More and more articles are introducing the public to the concept of sober living. Five years ago if you mentioned sober living to someone, most didn’t know what it was. Now, especially in California and Florida, if you ever read the news, you have at least read one article, whether it shed a positive or negative light, on sober livings.
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