Understanding New Hampshire’s Recovery Houses for Lasting Change
By Granite State Report
The morning rhythm
At 6:30 a.m., the kitchen is already busy. A whiteboard by the fridge lists chores (trash, dishes, floors), a daily house meeting at 7:15, and the week’s curfew hours. A mason jar labeled “rent” sits beside a stack of meeting slips—proofs of attendance for last night’s NA and AA meetings. In the living room, a few residents trade notes about job interviews; another unrolls a yoga mat before heading to the bus stop. It looks ordinary because it is—on purpose. Recovery housing in New Hampshire is built around the quiet power of routine, peer accountability, and a home that feels like one.
This is life inside a recovery house: not a clinic, not a halfway house with staff on every shift, but a peer-led, substance-free home for people serious about rebuilding their lives. In New Hampshire, these homes are certified and connected to a statewide infrastructure that tries to make the “next step” into recovery as clear—and near—as possible. The system is imperfect and evolving. But on any given morning, it begins with coffee, chores, and the decision to keep showing up.
What exactly is a “recovery house”?
New Hampshire’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) defines recovery houses as safe, healthy, family-like, substance-free living environments that support individuals in recovery—centered on peer support and connected to services that promote long-term recovery. Certified houses in NH meet quality standards and appear on the state’s Recovery House Registry. State-funded agencies can only refer clients to homes listed there, which raises the baseline for safety and ethics.
Most homes follow the national standards published by the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR). NARR organizes homes by four “levels” of support, from Level I peer-run houses (no paid staff, resident self-governance) to Level IV service-provider models (clinical, staff-intensive). New Hampshire aligns with these levels through its certification process.
Quick view: NARR levels in plain language
- Level I – Peer-run: Residents democratically run the home; structure comes from house rules and meeting attendance.
- Level II – Monitored: A house manager or equivalent provides oversight.
- Level III – Supervised: Staff and case management are standard.
- Level IV – Service provider: Clinically staffed settings, often part of a broader treatment program.
The New Hampshire model: one front door, many paths
New Hampshire’s Doorway system—nine regional “single points of entry”—connects people to the right level of care and support, including recovery housing, typically within an hour’s drive. You can reach The Doorway by dialing 211 24/7 anywhere in the state. DHHS reminds providers: referrals that use state or federal funds must go to homes on the Recovery House Registry.
Hospitals and health systems integrate with the Doorway hubs—Dartmouth Health in Lebanon and Cheshire Medical Center in Keene are examples—making it easier to move from crisis stabilization or treatment into housing and peer support.
Where to start today (for you or a loved one):
- Call 211 and say you need The Doorway.
- Ask specifically about NHPRR-/NHCORR-certified recovery homes on the Registry.
Inside the house: rules, routines, and the social model
Walk through a certified Level I–II recovery house and you’ll hear familiar language: house meeting, service position, curfew, rent due, meeting slips. The point isn’t punishment; it’s structure.
Common features you’ll find:
- Zero tolerance for alcohol and non-prescribed drug use—relapse typically triggers immediate discharge, decided by a resident vote in peer-run models like Oxford House.
- Resident governance—finances, chore schedules, curfews, and rule enforcement are set and enforced by the house community.
- Meeting requirements—regular attendance at recovery meetings (AA/NA/SMART, etc.) and in-house check-ins.
- Random testing—to maintain a safe environment. (Practices vary by level and operator; certification requires clear policies.)
- Length of stay—not time-limited; staying six months or longer is associated with better outcomes.
What about medications for addiction treatment (MAT)?
New Hampshire encourages MAT-capable recovery housing; state and national guidance emphasize integrating buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone into housing rules and storage protocols, rather than excluding residents.
Costs and how people afford it
Recovery houses are not hospitals—residents generally pay weekly or monthly rent that covers a share of housing costs (rent, utilities, supplies). Exact costs vary widely by location, amenities, and level of support. One recent NH-focused estimate places typical sober living costs at roughly $1,200–$2,800 per month. While that’s only a ballpark from one provider’s analysis, it tracks with what many residents describe: about what you’d pay to share a modest apartment, sometimes less.
For those with limited income, assistance can be pieced together: short-term scholarships from operators or nonprofits, help from families, or housing supports tied to treatment and recovery programs. NHCORR has intermittently offered an incoming resident housing assistance program when funding is available.
Certification, the Registry, and why they matter
New Hampshire relies on voluntary certification through its NARR affiliate. Until recently that affiliate was the New Hampshire Coalition of Recovery Residences (NHCORR), which set standards and maintained a list of certified homes; a newer initiative, the New Hampshire Partnership for Recovery Residences (NHPRR), now provides certification support and resident/operator resources statewide. Regardless of the certifier’s branding, the state’s Recovery House Registry is the official list of homes to which public systems can refer.
DHHS’s rule is blunt: state-funded agencies may only refer clients to homes on the Registry. That protects residents by tying referrals to quality standards and basic safety.
Safety and the law: fire code, fair housing, and local zoning
New Hampshire law gives certified or registered recovery houses a path to limited exemptions from certain fire code requirements (for example, costly sprinkler installations) if specific safety criteria are met and approved by the State Fire Marshal. This is RSA 153:10-d, and it’s intended to balance safety with feasibility for small, peer-run homes.
At the same time, recovery homes sit at the intersection of federal fair housing and disability law. People in recovery from substance use disorder are protected by the Fair Housing Act and ADA (not including current illegal drug use), which means municipalities must avoid discriminatory zoning and should grant reasonable accommodations for group living. Legal advocates and the NH Bar have warned that local pushback—what many call “NIMBY”—can cross these lines.
Translation: a certified home that follows safety rules and keeps good documentation has legal footing—but operators still need to engage neighbors and boards early, and cities should train staff on fair-housing obligations.
How the state pays for more beds
To grow capacity, New Hampshire has tapped opioid settlement dollars via the Opioid Abatement Trust Fund. In late 2024, New Hampshire Housing launched the Opioid Use Disorder Supportive Housing Capital Program, offering 0% deferred loans to create or rehab supportive units—including Level 1–4 recovery residences—with requirements for service plans, data tracking, and long-term affordability through a land-use restriction.
That’s quietly significant: it means small nonprofits and mission-driven developers can finance the upfront work to convert properties into safe, certifiable recovery housing instead of trying to bootstrap with donations and rent alone.
Does recovery housing work? What the evidence says
Peer-run housing is more than a rulebook—it’s a research-backed environment:
- A classic 18-month study of sober living houses found improvements in substance use, arrests, and employment, especially for residents staying longer and engaging in community recovery.
- Newer work suggests stays of six months or more are linked to stronger recovery outcomes versus leaving earlier.
- Reviews characterize the evidence as moderate to strong, highlighting cost offsets (fewer ER visits, less justice involvement, more employment). National projects like NSTARR and NARR’s Data Collection effort are building a larger, modern evidence base specific to recovery residences.
In short: when homes adhere to standards and residents have time to stabilize, recovery housing is one of the few interventions that simultaneously protects public safety, reduces public costs, and strengthens personal recovery capital.
Context: overdoses are down—but the work isn’t over
Provisional CDC data show U.S. drug overdose deaths fell nearly 27% in 2024—the steepest decline on record—with New Hampshire among the states seeing some of the largest reductions. State analyses and local reporting through 2025 indicate the downward trend has continued, even as potent synthetics like carfentanil have appeared in some fatal cases.
New Hampshire’s own Drug Monitoring Initiative (DMI) tracks trends monthly across medical examiner, EMS, and law-enforcement data to keep a real-time pulse on what’s happening—information that helps align housing, treatment, and harm-reduction resources.
The implication for housing: fewer overdoses doesn’t reduce the need for stable places to live in early recovery; it increases the value of housing as a recovery maintainer—where residents can safely practice what treatment starts.
A day in the house, in practice
7:15 a.m. – House Meeting
Chairs form a circle. The treasurer updates the rent ledger; the secretary reads last week’s minutes. A member in early recovery asks for a “service position”—taking meeting notes, coordinating chores, or keeping the meeting directory current. Roles build ownership and predictable rhythms.
Noon – Work & Appointments
Two residents head to their shifts at a nearby warehouse. Another leaves for a primary-care appointment and a buprenorphine refill; the house’s MAT policy sets storage and verification rules that protect both the resident and the household.
5:30 p.m. – Dinner
It’s spaghetti night. Phones go into a bowl; someone reads the day’s “Just for Today.”
7:00 p.m. – Meetings Out
Carpools scatter to AA, NA, or SMART Recovery, with sign-in slips that house leadership checks each week.
10:00 p.m. – Curfew
A quick check-in: any triggers today? anyone need a ride to work tomorrow? The smallest rituals become the strongest scaffolds.
Frictions—and how houses manage them
Neighborhood concerns.
Good operators are proactive: introduce the house to neighbors, share a single point of contact, and document incident response. Municipalities should train land-use boards on fair-housing basics and set “by-right” occupancy standards that don’t single out disability-related housing.
Relapse and discharge.
Zero-tolerance policies protect the home, but smart programs also plan for re-occurrence management—how to connect someone to detox or a higher level of care and offer a structured path back when safe. New Hampshire’s new capital program requires service plans to spell this out.
Affordability.
Even modest weekly rent can be steep in early recovery. Operators can braid funding (settlement dollars, philanthropy) to build short-term scholarships, or partner with employers in the state’s Recovery Friendly Workplace initiative to create rapid hire pipelines.
The model and the movement
WMUR segment on The Doorway’s launch and purpose. (You can also explore The Doorway’s own channel and story library.)
A primer on the peer-run model widely used in NH (with house-level expectations and governance).
A brief look at a Granite State sober home, adding texture to what the day-to-day feels like.
Why employers are partnering with recovery—reducing stigma and opening job doors across the state.
How to choose a quality house (a practical checklist)
- Check the Registry (DHHS) and look for NHPRR/NARR-aligned certification. If a provider can’t show it, ask why.
- Ask to see the house rules and relapse policy—including MAT policies if you or a loved one are on medications.
- Tour the home: smoke and CO detectors, posted emergency plans, tidy common areas, workable chore system. If sprinklers aren’t present, ask about the RSA 153:10-d exemption and recent Fire Marshal interactions.
- Confirm connections: nearby meetings, transportation, and a plan to access The Doorway and other supports (RCOs, coaching, family groups).
- Budget honestly: understand weekly/monthly rent, what’s included, and any deposit. Ask about scholarships or short-term help if needed.
The policy frontier: sustain the gains
The drop in overdose deaths is real, but fragile. Analysts attribute progress to wider naloxone availability, expanded treatment access, and investments financed by opioid settlements—exactly the ecosystem that makes recovery housing useful, not isolated. Sustaining that ecosystem requires stable funding, data transparency, and zoning/fair-housing literacy at the local level.
New Hampshire’s next steps are practical: keep capital flowing into high-quality homes, maintain the Registry’s integrity, link every bed to peer support and The Doorway, and keep employer partnerships growing so “move-in day” can quickly become “first paycheck.”
Resources (New Hampshire)
- The Doorway (DHHS): How to get connected to services and housing referrals statewide.
- NH Recovery Hub: Recovery Community Organizations (RCOs), coaching, events, and statewide peer supports.
- 211 NH: 24/7 connection to The Doorway and other human services.
- Recovery Housing (DHHS): Registry overview, rules for referrals, and definitions.
- NHPRR / Certification & Resident Resources: How certification works; help for residents and operators.
- NARR Standards: National levels of support and best practices.
- Fire code & Fair Housing: RSA 153:10-d; fair-housing protections for recovery homes.
References & further reading
- DHHS: Recovery Housing overview & Registry rule — State-funded referrals must go to registered homes; definitions of recovery housing and certification.
- NARR standards / levels of support — What Level I–IV really mean in practice.
- NHPRR / NHCORR — Certification, public listings, and tools for residents and operators.
- RSA 153:10-d & related session laws — Fire-code exemption pathway for certified/registered homes.
- Fair Housing/ADA context — Legal landscape for group homes serving people in recovery.
- OUD Supportive Housing Capital Program (NH Housing) — 0% deferred loans; eligible Level 1–4 recovery residences; service plan and LURA requirements.
- Effectiveness evidence — Polcin et al. (2010) 18-month outcomes; newer analyses linking stays ≥6 months with stronger recovery; ongoing national data efforts (NSTARR; NARR data).
- Overdose trend context — CDC provisional data: ~27% national decline in 2024; NH among steepest drops; local reporting on 2025 patterns.
- Recovery Friendly Workplace — State initiative engaging employers. (See also video above.)
Final word
Recovery housing works best when it’s not a cul-de-sac but a through-street—linked to coaching, treatment, work, and family. In New Hampshire, that linkage is the point: a registry that signals trust, a Doorway that answers at any hour, and houses that run on the simple, stubborn hope of roommates who care enough to enforce rules and root for each other. On mornings like this one, that’s what you hear in the kitchen—coffee, keys, and the sound of people getting on with their lives.
