Oxford House - Emyla
631 North Lafayette Blvd, South Bend, IN 46601
Oxford House, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides community-based, supportive, and sober living environments through the Oxford House Model, a democratically self-run, self-supported recovery residence system founded in 1975.
The model offers shared housing for individuals recovering from substance use disorders, emphasizing long-term sobriety without time limits, where residents elect officers, share responsibilities, and maintain a 100% drug- and alcohol-free policy by expelling any member who relapses.
With over 3,500 houses across 47 states housing more than 24,000 individuals annually, Oxford House fosters responsibility, replication, and evidence-based outcomes, including high sobriety rates (over 80%), reduced criminal involvement, and improved employment, as validated by studies from DePaul University and recognized by SAMHSA.
It serves men, women, and special populations like those with co-occurring disorders, veterans, and families, promoting active participation in AA/NA while remaining autonomous and non-professional.
What we treat
Treatment & Programs
Levels of Care
Oxford House - Emyla provides a time-tested approach to sober living right in the South Bend community. Instead of graduating by a set date, individuals can stay as long as they need to build a solid foundation, provided they follow house rules. This self-run, long-term housing solution serves as a critical step-down into sustained recovery.
Therapies
This community operates as a strictly non-professional environment, meaning there are no clinical therapies or outside house managers. Instead, the focus relies heavily on peer support, shared responsibility, and personal accountability. While no formal treatment occurs on-site, members are strongly encouraged to actively participate in local Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous groups to enhance their journey.
Addictions
The primary goal of this South Bend residence is to provide a safe haven for those who want to stop using alcohol and drugs and stay stopped. House members support one another daily in maintaining a 100% substance-free environment, firmly united against drug addiction and alcoholism. Any individual who returns to drinking or active addiction is immediately expelled to protect the group’s shared sobriety.
Conditions
Residents battling substance use disorders find a stable, understanding environment at Oxford House - Emyla. The democratically structured model has also proven highly effective for individuals managing co-occurring mental illnesses alongside their addiction. Members learn to balance their recovery with their overall mental health while thriving in a self-supported group dynamic.
Issues
Beyond maintaining abstinence, living in this democratically run environment helps individuals effectively navigate practical life challenges like unemployment and housing insecurity. Studies tracking the broader network show that members experience reduced criminal justice issues and significantly higher monthly incomes over time. By working together, residents cultivate a robust sober social network that permanently replaces the isolation of active addiction.
Programs
The peer-led recovery community model utilized here is an evidence-based practice recognized by SAMHSA for its unmatched long-term housing outcomes. Completely self-governed and strictly abstinence-oriented, the home requires residents to elect administrative officers for six-month terms to ensure a fair, egalitarian democracy. Continually demonstrating excellence in extended care, this programmatic approach boasts a long-term sobriety rate of over 80 percent.
On-site
Amenities
Oxford House - Emyla occupies a traditional single-family home designed to prevent isolation and foster a familial atmosphere. The layout typically features shared rooms, ensuring that newcomers have a roommate to help them relearn socialization skills. Housemates split domestic chores equally and pitch in for basic staples, utilities, and simple comforts like continuous cable television.
Coverage
Payment
Financial sustainability is a fundamental organizational pillar, relying fully on a self-payment framework where outside funding is not required for daily upkeep. Every member contributes a weekly or monthly equal expense share that smoothly covers rent, utilities, and basic household necessities. Prospective housemates should expect to pay a modest, nonrefundable move-in fee alongside their first two weeks of living costs to begin their stay.
Please contact the facility directly to verify insurance coverage and payment options. Many facilities offer free insurance verification.
Eligibility
Who We Serve
While the broader national network serves men, women, and specialized populations like veterans, each individual home remains strictly gender-specific to foster a cohesive atmosphere. Oxford House - Emyla welcomes adults in Indiana who have completed detox or a primary treatment program and are genuinely ready to embrace accountability. Securing a spot simply requires submitting an application, completing a candid house interview, and earning an 80-percent approval vote from current housemates.
Additional Services
The backbone of daily life here is intense peer support within a participatory democracy where every member gets an equal vote. Through an Equal Expense Share (EES) system, household costs are divided evenly, fostering deep financial responsibility and independence. Upon moving out in good standing, former residents are warmly encouraged to join the active alumni program to offer friendship and ongoing mentorship to newer members.
About
Facility Info
Chartered under the larger umbrella organization, this location operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit enterprise integrated smoothly into an everyday residential neighborhood. Returning individuals to the pulse of the local South Bend community, the setting prioritizes both autonomy and neighborly respect. A structured operating charter ensures the residence stays eternally accountable to the evidence-based core traditions established back in 1975.
Credentials
Accreditations
Though it intentionally bypasses traditional clinical licensing as a non-professional home, the overarching model is listed on the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices recognized by SAMHSA. Rigorous, long-term scientific studies spearheaded by DePaul University have continually validated the remarkable success of this unique communal living structure.
- 631 North Lafayette Blvd, South Bend, IN 46601
More Options
Other Indiana Rehabs to Consider
Verified treatment centers across Indiana
Red Ribbon Recovery Indiana
Greenwood, Indiana
Abuse Counseling & Education, Inc - Nonviolent Alternatives Greenwood
Greenwood, Indiana
Parkview Health - Decatur Office
Decatur, Indiana
Bowen Center - Russell House
Plymouth, Indiana
Centerstone - Nashville
Nashville, Indiana
Amethyst House - Men's House
Bloomington, Indiana