Sober Living Homes in Texas

What is a sober living home and how is it different from rehab?

A sober living home, also called a recovery residence, is alcohol- and drug-free shared housing for people in recovery. It is a place to live, not a treatment program. Many residents also attend outpatient rehab in Texas or an intensive outpatient program while they live there.

Residential treatment in Texas is clinical care. Programs that provide chemical dependency treatment are licensed by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) under Health and Safety Code Chapter 464. If you need medical or counseling support around the clock, look at residential rehab in Texas first.

Correctional halfway houses are a different setting again. They are part of a sentence or parole and run inside the criminal justice system.

Are sober living homes in Texas certified or regulated?

Texas does not appear to have a state program that certifies or registers sober living homes.

The Texas Recovery Oriented Housing Network (TROHN) is the state affiliate of the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR). NARR sets the national standard, but certification in Texas runs through TROHN, not through NARR. Ask a home whether it holds TROHN certification, then confirm that with TROHN directly.

A court, supervision officer or state-funded program may be referring you. If so, ask whether it requires a certified home.

What do the levels of support mean?

NARR describes four levels of support. The levels tell you how much staffing to expect, not how good a home is.

How much does sober living cost in Texas, and who pays?

Residents usually pay their own rent and fees at a Texas sober living home. No state source sets typical prices. Ask for the full cost in writing before you move in. That includes:

• whether rent is weekly or monthly
• the deposit
• any drug-testing fees
• whether utilities are included

Texas Medicaid is delivered mostly through managed care plans. Ask your plan or insurer directly what it will and will not cover, because treatment services and housing costs are handled separately. For coverage of treatment itself, see programs that accept Medicaid.

Texas Targeted Opioid Response is run by HHSC with federal funds and points people to prevention, treatment and recovery resources. Related options are listed under court-ordered rehab in Texas and state-funded rehab.

What should you ask before moving into a sober home?

Useful questions include:

• Is there a curfew, and what are the rules on visitors and chores?
• How often is drug testing done, and who pays for it?
• How long can residents stay?
• What is the refund policy if you leave early?
• What happens after a return to use? Does the home help arrange treatment or a safe place to go, or does it ask you to leave the same day?

Federal fair housing law can protect people in recovery from housing discrimination. A local legal aid office or fair housing group can explain how to file a complaint in Texas.

Can you live in a sober home while taking medication for opioid use disorder?

Some Texas sober homes accept residents who take buprenorphine or methadone, and some do not, so ask before you sign. To keep your prescriber close by, see Suboxone clinics and methadone clinics in Texas.

Does the home keep naloxone?

Ask whether naloxone is kept in the house and whether residents know how to use it. Tolerance drops after a period without use. A return to use, especially right after leaving a home, carries a higher risk of overdose.

Texas Health and Safety Code 483.102 lets prescribers provide naloxone directly or by standing order to people at risk and to family or friends. NaloxoneTexas offers free naloxone and training, with pick-up at 10 hubs across the state.

A 2021 Texas law also gives a limited defense to the first person who calls for help with a possible overdose and stays to cooperate.

How do you find a sober living home in Texas?

Start with the listings on this page, then contact the house and TROHN before you commit. Filters let you narrow homes by:

• gender
• whether medication is accepted
• populations served
• location
• languages

Among listed homes, 82% are within 25 miles of a river, most often the Elm Fork Trinity River or the San Jacinto River. More on that is under rivers. William P. Hobby Airport is the nearest airport for the largest group of homes, and the median distance to the nearest airport is 9.1 miles.

Texas has no dedicated state substance use helpline. HHSC directs people to 2-1-1 Texas or 877-541-7905, and regional Outreach, Screening, Assessment and Referral (OSAR) lines answer 24 hours a day.

The listings draw on government treatment registers, state licensing records, accreditor listings and details sent in by the providers themselves. For other options, browse all Texas listings or the national sober living homes page.