Author: John Carter

Minnesota Association of Sober Homes National Alliance for Recovery Residences

The Massachusetts Alliance for Sober Housing (MASH) plays a critical role in supporting individuals in recovery by ensuring access to high-quality sober living environments across Massachusetts. Established in 2007 by a group of sober home operators, MASH was founded to address the need for consistent standards and accountability within the sober housing community. In collaboration with the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR), MASH has developed certification standards that sober homes must meet to ensure they provide safe, supportive, and structured environments for residents in Massachusetts. The organization’s core values emphasize health, home, purpose, and community, aligning closely with NARR’s principles to foster environments that promote long-term recovery and personal growth. MASH’s recovery values emphasize health, home, purpose, and community. Successful sober homes establish and reinforce healthy lifestyles, provide a safe and stable place to live, conduct meaningful activities, and build relationships and social networks for support.

A significant milestone in MASH’s history occurred in 2011 when the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR) was founded. NARR established national standards for recovery residences, which MASH adopted and tailored to meet the specific needs of Massachusetts. This alignment with NARR standards helped MASH strengthen its certification process and expand its influence across the state​. Read more about the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR), including it’s history, standards, and impact on recovery housing nationwide. Our mission at NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR RECOVERY RESIDENCES (NARR) is to enhance access to quality recovery residences by setting standards, providing education, and advocating for those in addiction recovery. Housing is critical for individuals returning to the community during COVID-19, as emergency housing is limited due to coronavirus concerns, Deputy Coelho said.

Through our network of certified sober housing and empirically-based recovery principles, MASH’s goal is to help create and foster safe living environments for those with substance use disorders. MASH’s recovery values emphasize health, home, purpose, and community. Through our network of certified sober housing and empirically based recovery principles, MASH’s goal is to help create and foster these safe living environments for those with substance use disorders.

Standards

MASH serves as the primary agency for accountability of all certified homes in Massachusetts. Our organization also provides supervision and training for sober homes, and maintains a database of more than 180 MASH-certified sober homes. Search the Massachusetts Alliance for Sober Living  (MASH) directory of all certified sober homes, which follow the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR) standards and have been inspected. The MA Alliance of Sober Housing (MASH) exists to ensure andpromote the critical management, operational, and ethical standards of soberhomes, as well as promote technical assistance to new and existing sober homes. We regularly inspect all member sober homes to ensure safety, quality, and the building of a community of recovery.

MASH Sober House Directory

  1. A $483,840 grant from the Office of Justice Programs Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding will help extend sober housing for probationers through “most of 2020,” according to Michael Coelho, Deputy Commissioner-Programs.
  2. This alignment with NARR standards helped MASH strengthen its certification process and expand its influence across the state​.
  3. Through our network of certified sober housing and empirically based recovery principles, MASH’s goal is to help create and foster these safe living environments for those with substance use disorders.
  4. Housing is critical for individuals returning to the community during COVID-19, as emergency housing is limited due to coronavirus concerns, Deputy Coelho said.

Notably, MASH administers the Fire Sprinkler System Program (FSSP), which provides grants of up to $80,000 per home for the installation of fire sprinkler systems in MASH-certified sober homes. This program is essential for helping homes comply with state and local fire safety codes, thereby ensuring a safe living environment for residents. MASH was formed in 2007 when a group of sober home operators recognized the need for consistent standards and greater accountability within the sober housing community.

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The Minnesota Association of Sober Homes, Inc., or M.A.S.H. for short, was formed in the summer of 2007 in an attempt to form a unified voice for owners of sober houses in situations where a public voice became necessary. The primary mission of the Minnesota Association of Sober Homes is to promote the establishment, successful management, and growth of high quality community-based sober-living residences. Vanderburgh Sober Living (VSL) is a network of independently operated recovery homes organized and supported by The Vanderburgh Foundation, a registered 501(c)3 Charitable Foundation. VSL works alongside MASH to support and equip Chartered Operators to strengthen their local communities through effective recovery housing.

Find Certified Sober Living in Massachusetts

We promote and enforce the SAMHSA recognized National Alliance for Recovery Residences standards.

This housing will help probationers, parolees, and those discharging from Houses of Correction and from the Department of Correction. Join our sober living community or refer a client, family member, or friend. With assistance from Commonwealth Green Low-Income Housing Coalition, area nonprofits are accessing green energy initiatives that conserve resources, lower energy costs, and benefit their mission. We are active from the local to the state level, continuously advocating for the rights of sober home residents and operators.