Oxford House - Jenkins

Oxford House is a pioneering nonprofit organization founded in 1975, providing self-run, self-supported recovery residences for individuals overcoming substance use disorders, with a core mission to offer community-based, supportive, and sober living environments that foster long-term sobriety through responsibility and replication. Originating from a group of recovering alcoholics who took over a closing halfway house in Silver Spring, Maryland, to avoid relapse due to limited stays and lack of support, Oxford House has grown into a network of over 3,500 democratically operated, gender-specific homes across 47 states, housing more than 24,000 residents annually who share expenses equally, elect officers for six-month terms, and enforce a strict zero-tolerance policy for drug or alcohol use to protect the group's sobriety. As a 501(c)(3) entity, Oxford House, Inc. issues charters, offers technical assistance, and promotes an evidence-based model backed by extensive research from DePaul University and endorsements from SAMHSA, demonstrating unmatched outcomes like 80% long-term sobriety rates, reduced incarceration, and improved employment compared to usual care. Targeting recovering alcoholics, drug addicts, and those with co-occurring disorders—including veterans, women with children, and special populations—Oxford House emphasizes autonomy, peer support, and active participation in AA/NA without formal affiliation, enabling residents to stay indefinitely as long as they remain sober, non-disruptive, and financially responsible, while alumni are encouraged to provide ongoing friendship and example to newcomers.