Standards: The Backbone of Quality in Recovery Housing

If recovery housing is the heart of long-term healing, standards are the backbone that keep that heart strong, healthy, and accountable. What exactly are standards and why do they matter so much?

Standards are shared benchmarks that ensure a recovery residence is more than just a place to live. It is a place where people can truly recover.

National standards for recovery residences are developed by the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR). These standards are federally recognized and are the most widely adopted framework in the United States. They were built from decades of research, field experience, and collaboration with experts, operators, residents, and policymakers across the country. While other models exist, NARR’s standards are unique in their breadth and applicability. Some organizations, such as the National Sober Living Association, have created their own standards, but these have not achieved the same level of national adoption or federal recognition. Oxford House also operates under its own peer-based model but does not certify or oversee independent recovery housing providers outside of the Oxford network of residences.

The reason NARR’s standards are so widely accepted is because they are not created in a vacuum. They grow out of best practices, which are the methods and approaches that consistently produce the best outcomes for residents.

Best practices evolve from evidence, data, and the lived experience of countless recovery programs. They are practical, measurable ways of translating standards into day-to-day action. For example, a best practice for house governance might include holding regular resident meetings where decisions are made collaboratively and transparently. A best practice for support services might include encouraging regular engagement in peer recovery meetings and connecting residents to employment or educational resources. Best practices for safety and structure could include routine drug testing, clear written policies, and trained staff who model and reinforce recovery-oriented behaviors. These practices create consistency, accountability, and a stable environment where recovery can thrive.

If standards are the “what” and best practices are the “how,” then ethics are the “why.”

Ethics anchor everything in a commitment to do what is right, not just what is required. They remind us that recovery housing is first and foremost about people, their safety, dignity, autonomy, and chance to rebuild their lives. Ethical practice means treating residents with respect, protecting their rights, and prioritizing their recovery above profit or convenience.

In Tennessee, TN-ARR certifies recovery residences based on the national standards set by NARR. That certification is not simply a seal on the wall. It is a public promise that the home operates according to the highest benchmarks of safety, support, and integrity. It shows that best practices are woven into daily operations and that ethics guide every decision, large or small.

It is important to understand that national standards, best practices, and ethics for recovery housing differ in both purpose and scope from clinical accreditation systems like CARF or the Joint Commission. Those organizations were created to evaluate licensed treatment programs, hospitals, and behavioral health facilities that deliver medical or therapeutic services. Their criteria focus on clinical care, medical risk management, patient safety, and regulatory compliance within a healthcare model.

Attempting to apply their criteria to recovery housing is like rating a public library with the safety checklist for a nuclear power plant. The expectations might be appropriate in their own fields, but they make no sense when applied to something that operates on completely different principles.

NARR’s framework is intentionally designed around the social experiential model of recovery, rather than a clinical, medical, or custodial model. Recovery residences built on this foundation focus on structure, community, peer support, daily living skills, and the real-world practice of recovery principles. They are not treatment programs, and they do not provide therapy or medical intervention. Instead, they create the environment in which those interventions can take root and become sustainable.

This is why TN-ARR certification is so essential. It does not duplicate clinical oversight; it complements it. It fills a gap that CARF and Joint Commission were never designed to fill by applying standards rooted in social connection, experiential learning, and long-term recovery outcomes. It is the only certification in Tennessee that evaluates both organizations and every residence they operate against the nationally recognized benchmarks set by NARR.

Standards, best practices, and ethics are not three separate concepts operating in isolation. They are interconnected parts of a single framework that defines what quality looks like and what these homes must deliver. Together, they distinguish peer-based, social model residences from clinical programs by setting expectations that are specific to the work of long-term support rather than treatment.

Most importantly, they elevate this field from being seen as just a place to live into being recognized as an essential component of the recovery continuum. It deserves its own standards, its own certification, and its rightful place alongside prevention and treatment as a pillar of public health.

Marlana Smartt-Byrge

TN-ARR Advocacy Co-Chair