Oxford House - Kiyo

Oxford House, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1975 that provides community-based, supportive, and sober living environments through its innovative, evidence-based Oxford House Model, offering self-run, self-supported recovery residences for individuals recovering from substance use disorders, including alcohol and drug addiction, with a primary goal to enable long-term sobriety without relapse by fostering responsibility, replication, and peer support. Originating from a group of residents who took over a closing halfway house in Silver Spring, Maryland, and expanded nationwide following federal legislation like the 1988 Anti-Drug Abuse Act, Oxford House now operates over 3,500 democratically governed houses across 47 states, where residents elect officers for six-month terms, share equal expenses, and adhere to strict zero-tolerance rules for substance use or disruptive behavior, allowing unlimited stays as long as sobriety is maintained. The model emphasizes self-help as the bedrock of recovery, disciplined democracy for group living, and financial self-support to build efficacy, with no house managers or outside authorities; houses are gender-specific, accommodate at least six residents, and integrate with AA/NA while remaining independent, serving diverse populations such as veterans, women with children, those with co-occurring mental illnesses, and formerly incarcerated individuals, supported by technical assistance, charters, manuals, and research from institutions like DePaul University showing 80% long-term sobriety rates, significantly better employment and reduced incarceration compared to usual care.