As a general rule formal AA or NA meetings are not held in an Oxford House member who has maintained comfortable sobriety in an Oxford House makes it a practice to attend a lot of AA and/or NA meetings on a regular basis. Oxford House, Inc. acts as the coordinating body for providing charters for the opening of new Oxford Houses. It also acts as the coordinating body to help individual houses to organize mutually supportive chapters. Through chapters individual houses are able to share their experience, strength and hope with each other to assure compliance with the Oxford House concept and its respected standardized system of operations. When we stopped drinking, we began to realize that in order to stay stopped, our lives would need to change.
Cultivating Leadership Skills Through Experience
More than 80 percent of Oxford House residents remain clean and sober for the long term link to DePaul study even though many of them come from backgrounds that have included lengthy alcohol and drug use, periods of homelessness, and incarceration. One can only be dismissed from an Oxford House because of drinking, using drugs, non-payment of rent, or disruptive behavior. Every opportunity should be given to a member who needs professional help to see that he obtains it. The members of an Oxford House assume full responsibility for the operation of the House.
Manuals & Forms

Oxford House residents actively contribute to their communities, dedicating an average of 10 hours a month to neighborhood involvement. The majority of participants were involved in activities around their recovery. Key findings include 63% of residents involved in mentoring others in recovery, 44% running support groups, and 56% involved in educating the community about Oxford House. It received a boost after Mr. Molloy successfully lobbied for passage of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, which established a fund to help provide start-up loans for groups opening residential recovery locations like those of Oxford House.
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Once the members of the new house agree to utilize the Oxford House Model’s system of operations and Oxford House, Inc. issues a no-cost charter. The members of the new house agree to utilize the Oxford House Model’s system of operations and Oxford House, Inc. issues a no-cost charter. Find documents, templates, and everything residents need while living at an Oxford House. It is inconsistent with the Oxford House system of democratic rule to have a professional manager of Oxford House. Likewise, it is inconsistent with the Oxford House concept to have a requirement placed on members to utilize the services of psychiatrists, doctors, or even the program of Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous except in very special circumstances. For example, the landlord and phone company may require a security deposit and, while furnishings are generally donated, members will often have to rent a truck in order to pick them up.


Each member pays EES (Equal Expense Share) which includes the total amount of rent due for the month as well as the cost of utilities, telephone, cable TV and any other expenses that the oxford house traditions house includes in its common expenditures. Some houses collect EES from its members on a monthly basis while many houses choose to collect EES on a weekly basis. This monthly or weekly amount varies from state to state and house to house and can range anywhere from $125 a week to $250 a week. When you call a house to set up an interview you can ask them how much their EES is.
- But together we have learned to manage and maintain the house and interact as a family.
- Your stay in Oxford House helped make it what it is today and by keeping in touch with the Oxford House family you will make the organization better.
- Using standardized application forms ensures that all prospective members are evaluated using the same criteria.
Oxford Houses seem to stop the recycling in and out of jail or treatment facilities. A recovering individual can live in an Oxford House for as long as he or she does not drink alcohol, does not use drugs, and pays an equal share of the house expenses. The average stay is about a year, but many residents stay three, four, or more years. It is obvious why Oxford House must strongly protect the sobriety of its other members by asking the drinking member or member using drugs to leave. The line between an Oxford House of recovering alcoholics or drug addicts and an Oxford Halfway house House of active alcoholics or drug addicts is a thin one. A member’s tenure is absolutely secure in an Oxford House as long as he does not drink or use drugs and keeps his rent up to date and is not disruptive.
- It’s about more than just splitting chores; it’s about fostering a shared responsibility for the well-being of the entire household.
- In its simplest form, an Oxford House is a shared residence where people in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction can live together and support each other in a drug and alcohol-free environment.
- Oxford House Chapters and Associations play a crucial role in supporting leadership development and promoting best practices across multiple locations.
- Oxford House residents actively contribute to their communities, dedicating an average of 10 hours a month to neighborhood involvement.
- Residents received psychiatric, psychological, nurse and social assistance one or two times a week in an outpatient service center located close to the residence.
Followed up on each house application and tracked down the individuals who had moved out. Everything your Oxford House needs in order to run successful house meetings. Today Oxford House has more than 20,000 residents at more than 3,500 homes across 47 states and several foreign countries. Generally an individual comes into an Oxford House following a 28-day rehabilitation https://dev-portfolio-onkarlad.pantheonsite.io/2024/04/08/defining-sobriety-what-does-it-mean-to-be-sober/ program or at least a 5 to 10 day detoxification program.
This approach empowers residents to collectively manage their living environment, fostering a sense of ownership, responsibility, and shared purpose. It is within this framework of collaborative decision-making that individuals rebuild their lives and solidify their recovery. During the last days of our drinking or using drugs, most of us ceased to function as responsible individuals.