Location is important. You want to be in a supportive community. For instance, Delray Beach is known in the recovery world as the recovery capital of the nation. In fact, the New York Times just did a 2 page article on the strong recovery community of Delray Beach.
Staff is vital. You want to ask the halfway houses about the staff and their recovery/clean time. Staff that works in a halfway house setting should have a minimum of one year clean and sober.
Residents are a good source of information. Go for a tour of the property; ask the residents what they think. Do they like the place, are they happy? Some residents will give you a cookie cutter answer based from fear of being removed from the program so pay close attention to the body language.
The homes will speak for themselves most the time. There is a difference between humiliation and humility. Are the homes run down? Do they have really old furniture? Are they kept clean? You can always tell if the owner is all about the money just by looking at his properties. If he is all about the money, RUN. But if the places are kept up, resident seem happy, and the community offers recovery meetings morning to night. Check in and start on your recovery journey.
Visit http://www.integritywayflorida.com or http://halfwayhouseusa.com for a free e book on what to look for when choosing a halfway house.
