Standards
In 2011, the National Alliance of Recovery Residences (NARR) made history by establishing a national standard for recovery residences. This standard defines the spectrum of recovery oriented housing and services and distinguishes four different types, which are known as “levels” or “levels of support.” The standard was developed through a strength-based and collaborative approach that solicited input from all major regional and national recovery housing organizations. Guidance for the standard was also received from recovery residence providers (some with decades of experience) from across the nation representing all four levels of support and nationally recognized recovery support stakeholders.
NARR released the second version of the standard in October 2015, and in 2018 released Version 3.0, our current version. The full text is available here. It provides more explicit guidance to providers, including metrics for evaluating the peer support components of a residence’s recovery environment.
Code of Ethics
In May 2016 NARR released its Code of Ethics for Recovery Residences. The Code is designed for operators, staff, peer leaders and volunteers in any recovery residence. The full text is available here.
- Quality. The standard defines the essential elements of a properly operated recovery residence that people in recovery should demand.
- Access. The standard provides a road map for developing the full spectrum of recovery housing to better match needs and a blue print for housing providers to rise to the occasion.
- Choice. The standard empowers informed recovery housing choices with regard to placement and resource allocation.