Before spreading the word, an individual Oxford House should make certain that it is sufficiently established to undertake public discussion of it goals and mission. The best sales pitch for spreading the word about Oxford House is simply the establishment of a sound Oxford House and a straightforward discussion of what it is, how it works and why it is needed. It is not easy to spread the word of a new concept or an old concept with a new twist. Propagation, or spreading the word, of the Oxford House concept is given the highest priority by the members of Oxford House. Within an Oxford House group, it is not unusual to find some members who have problems which cannot be dealt with by the group.

There are over 3,500 Oxford Houses across the United States

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. Paul Molloy was a young lawyer on Capitol Hill who had a key role in drafting legislation that created Amtrak and other federal programs. He was also an alcoholic whose drinking would eventually cost him his job, his family and his home.

Manuals & Forms

Oxford House gave me the opportunity to practice the principles and action. Generally an individual comes into an Oxford House following a 28-day rehabilitation program or at least a 5 to 10 day detoxification program. The easiest way to find an Oxford House is to use our vacancy locator at oxfordvacancies.com. Once you find a house that has a vacancy, you can call the contact person to set up an interview. Alternatively, you can apply online and your information will be sent to all of the Oxford Houses in your area that have an opening.

Q. How difficult is it to find another house to rent?

• Each House represents a remarkably effective and low cost method of preventing relapse.
• Oxford House residents actively contribute to their communities, dedicating an average of 10 hours a month to neighborhood involvement.
• Oxford Houses are democratically self-run by the residents who elect officers to serve for terms of six months.

At the Oxford House World Convention held annually, Oxford Houses throughout the country vote for representatives to the World Council. In 1975, a tight budget in Montgomery County, Maryland led to a decision to close one of the four county-run halfway houses. The thirteen men living in the halfway house rented the building and decided to run it themselves. They immediately decided to change the rule that limited a stay to six months because they had witnessed that when a person was required to leave because the time was up they almost always relapsed within thirty days of leaving.

Q. What is an Oxford House Charter?

Oxford Houses flourish in metropolitan areas such as New York City and Washington D.C. And thrive in such diverse communities as Hawaii, Washington State, Canada and Australia; but they all abide by the basic criteria. Each House represents a remarkably effective and low cost method of preventing relapse.

That was an important change because recovering individuals take different lengths of time to become comfortable enough in sobriety to avoid relapse. In fact, Oxford House creates an environment whereby each member can more fully realize the benefits available from active AA or NA membership. An underlying principle of Oxford House is that each individual member has the ability to be responsible for himself.

Democratically self-run

Learn what makes Oxford House stand out as a unique model for recovery housing. While no one is ever asked to leave an Oxford House without cause, some individuals will simply outgrow living in an Oxford House. They will return to their families; they may start new families; they may simply move into another living situation. The reason that each Oxford House is independent arises Alcoholics Anonymous from the very practical consideration that those who are closest to a situation are best able to manage it.

• Oxford House, Inc. provides technical assistance to foster the expansion of the Oxford House Model.
• While no one is ever asked to leave an Oxford House without cause, some individuals will simply outgrow living in an Oxford House.
• The article explores the challenges and debates surrounding the concept, emphasizing the transformative impact it has had on residents’ lives.
• Neither can an Oxford House function if some do not pay their fair share of the costs.
• 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 Oxford House Model is‍time-tested and evidence-based.

For more than twenty-five years, a DePaul University-based research team has been involved in studying Oxford Houses in order to better understand the role they play in substance abuse recovery. The national scope of Oxford House and its long history makes it the only recovery house system that has been the subject of so much independent research. Oxford Houses are democratically self-run by the residents who elect officers to serve for terms of six months. In this respect, they are similar to a college fraternity, sorority, or a small New England town. Officers have fixed terms of office to avoid bossism or corruption of egalitarian democracy.

The Oxford House Model is the unique, time-tested system of operations; an evidence-based practice shown to bring significant results currently unmatched in the recovery space. This system enables prospective members to find openings quickly and apply to houses. In 1987, the late Bill Spillane, Ph. D., who had retired from NIDA and was teaching at Catholic University School of Social Work in Washington, D.C. Followed up on each house application and tracked down the individuals who had moved out.

Acceptance

No member of an Oxford House is ever asked to leave without cause — a dismissal vote by the membership because of drinking, drug use, or disruptive behavior. Oxford House should rely on democratically chosen leaders, but the leaders must always be but trusted servants. To discourage an excessive dependence on leaders, it is a principle of Oxford House that no member should serve in the same office for a continuous period of longer than six months. The situation should be avoided whereby certain individuals will begin to equate their persuasive qualities with the Oxford House concept. Individuals living in each of the Oxford Houses have also been responsible for starting many new groups of Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous having meetings near an Oxford House. This not only helps those individuals to become more involved in AA or NA, and thereby reap greater individual benefits, but also helps to build strong bonds between local AA and NA groups and Oxford House.

The line between an Oxford House of recovering alcoholics or drug addicts and an Oxford 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 oxford sober living not disruptive. During the last days of our drinking or using drugs, most of us ceased to function as responsible individuals.