Madison Ashworth - Fletcher Group, Inc
Emily Birckhead - WVARR
Grace Clancy - Fletcher Group, Inc.
Recovery housing is an important part of the substance use disorder (SUD) continuum of care and is increasingly being recognized as such by state and federal governments. Despite the growing recognition of recovery housing as a best practice in SUD recovery care, little is known about the financial landscape of recovery houses and how prepared they are to cope with financial downturns. In this session, we present preliminary results from a study conducted to assess the financial landscape and financial resiliency of recovery houses in West Virginia (WV). Our sample, which includes 36 NARR certified and non-certified houses, provides a snapshot of the common practices within recovery houses in the state. We examine common funding sources, expenditures, barriers to continued operation, and financial resilience reported by WV recovery housing operators. We discuss reported factors that may impact perceived levels of financial resilience among WV recovery houses. Finally, we examine the most prevalent perceived barriers to continued recovery housing operations including lack of financial resources, staffing shortages, and community stigma. Finally, we discuss strategies and suggestions to help address these barriers.
1) describe the most common sources of funding for recovery houses
2) understand financial resiliency of recovery houses and factors that contribute to resiliency
3) identify tools to overcome the most common operating barriers for recovery houses