With passage of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, expansion of Oxford Houses exploded. During the early 1990s dozens of communities sought to close Oxford Houses located in good neighborhoods because local zoning ordinances restricted the number of unrelated individuals that could live together in a single-family home. In 1987, the late Bill Spillane, Ph. D., https://tour360.digitalid.com.br/100-inspirational-sobriety-quotes-celebrate/ who had retired from NIDA and was teaching at Catholic University School of Social Work in Washington, D.C. Followed up on each house application and tracked down the individuals who had moved out. Things that I have learned through AA and Oxford House are an attitude of gratitude, acceptance, love, forgiveness, compassion, and the willingness to take that next step. Oxford House gave me the opportunity to practice the principles and action.
- The concept and the standardized, democratic, self-supported Oxford House system of operations itself are far more persuasive than any individual.
- Modest rooms and living facilities can become luxurious suites when viewed from an environment of alcoholics working together for comfortable sobriety.
- The only members who will ever be asked to leave an Oxford House are those who return to drinking, using drugs, or have disruptive behavior, including the nonpayment of rent.
- Depaul University has a team of researchers that have been studying the Oxford House model for more than a decade.
Oxford House is the largest network of recovery homes with houses in all major areas of South Carolina.
If a house votes to accept you, you can tell them whether or not you accept the invitation to move in. Alternatively, if you’d like to send your application to all houses near you that have an opening, you can Apply Online. Call the contact person for each house you’re interested in to set up an interview. Find documents, templates, and everything residents need while living at an Oxford House.
The Oxford House Concept
The Oxford House Model provides community based, supportive, and sober living environment. Oxford House is a concept in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. In its simplest form, an Oxford House describes a democratically run, self-supporting and drug free home. Each house should immediately expel any resident who returns to using alcohol or drugs. The only members who will ever be asked to leave an Oxford House are those who return to drinking, using drugs, or have disruptive behavior, including the nonpayment of rent.
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- Living within an Oxford House provides both the opportunity and motivation for all residents to regularly attend AA and/or NA meetings.
- LutheranThe Oxford Group was a Christian organization founded in 1921 by Lutheran priest Frank Buchman.
- Each member pays EES (Equal Expense Share) which includes the total amount of rent due for the month, utilities and basic staples for the house.
Each member pays EES (Equal Expense Share) which includes the total what is Oxford House amount of rent due for the month, utilities and basic staples for the house. Oxford Houses are democratically self-run by the members who elect officers to serve for terms of six months. House officers have term limits to avoid bossism or corruption of egalitarian democracy.
The Oxford House Model istime-tested and evidence-based.
Any member who drinks alcohol or uses drugs will be immediately expelled. There’s no time limit on how long a member can live in an Oxford House. The average stay is about a year, but many members stay three, four, or more years. If you are not selected, you should try another house that has an opening. It is not unusual that an individual who gets rejected at one house applies at another house with an opening and gets accepted.

Fortunately, the 1988 Amendments to the Federal Fair Housing Act prohibit discrimination against handicapped individuals. This prohibition requires local governments to make a reasonable accommodation in their zoning laws to enable handicap individuals to effectively deal with their disability. Experience has shown that Oxford Houses work for both men and women, but not in the same house. Bill and the New Yorkers broke with the Oxford Group in 1937 or, as his wife Lois put it, “they were kicked out” for focussing too much on alcoholism and not enough on Christ. LutheranThe Oxford Group was a Christian organization founded in 1921 by Lutheran priest Frank Buchman.
Some houses are all veterans but primarily veterans are integrated into the normal Oxford House population. The situation should be avoided whereby certain individuals will begin to equate their persuasive qualities with the Oxford House concept. Starting new Houses through the mutual assistance of existing Oxford Houses is a tradition because each House was started with the help of existing Houses and tends to pass on to others that which they received. Once more applications are received than there are beds available, the members of any Oxford House will begin to look around for another suitable house. When they find such a house they will bring it up with the other existing Houses and if there is a consensus they will attempt to find the start up money and members to fill what is an oxford house the new house. Often several members of an existing House will move into the new House to provide a core group of new members who already know how an Oxford House works.
Oxford Houses are self-run, self-supported homes for individuals in recovery from a Substance Use Disorder.
It also acts as the coordinating body to help individual houses to organize mutually supportive chapters. Through chapters individual houses are able to share their experience, strength and hope with each other to assure compliance with the Oxford House concept and its respected standardized system of operations. The members of an Oxford House assume full responsibility for the operation of the House. The House is theirs and in no way is it part of any other organization. The rent that is charged the members is determined by the members themselves in a democratic fashion. The rules which govern the house are for the most part also made by those who live in a particular Oxford House Such autonomy is essential for the Oxford House system to work.

The third factor affecting us both in the rehabilitation facilities and the half-way houses was the realization that the duration of our stay must be limited because space must be made for others in need of help. It is no more difficult than for an ordinary family to find a house to rent. Each Oxford House is an ordinary single-family house with two bathrooms and four or more bedrooms. Ideally several of the bedrooms are large enough for two twin beds so that newcomers, in particular, are able to have a roommate.
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Loneliness and self-pity soon lead such individuals back to alcoholic drinking or drug use. With Oxford House there is no need for a recovering individual to live in an environment dominated by loneliness. At the Oxford House World Convention held annually, Oxford Houses throughout the country vote for representatives to the World Council. The World Council is comprised of 12 members, 9 of which presently live in an Oxford House, 3 who are alumni. In 1975, a tight budget in Montgomery County, Maryland led to a decision to close one of the four county-run halfway houses.

Individual Growth
Now that you have the contact information for the house you have chosen, call them and set up an interview. The houses are self-supporting and democratically run so every house does their own interviews and votes on new member admittance. Our network of houses is only as strong as the community support we receive and the involvement of current and former members.
- The members of an Oxford House assume full responsibility for the operation of the House.
- In 1987, the late Bill Spillane, Ph. D., who had retired from NIDA and was teaching at Catholic University School of Social Work in Washington, D.C.
- He was also an alcoholic whose drinking would eventually cost him his job, his family and his home.
- Oxford Houses of Oklahoma is a network of addiction recovery homes chartered by Oxford House, Inc., the 501c3 umbrella corporation.
The concept and the standardized, democratic, self-supported Oxford House system of operations itself are far more persuasive than any individual. Be honest and straight-forward when sharing the Oxford House concept with others. Failure to adhere to any of these three requirements would bring the entire Oxford House concept into question.
