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Resources

Plain definitions, places to find housing and benefits help, and the national organizations worth knowing about.

Crisis help

Need help right now?

If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. More crisis resources.

Words you will hear, in plain language

  • Recovery residence — a shared home for people in recovery, with house standards and peer support. Not a hospital and not a medical program.
  • Occupancy agreement — the written agreement you sign for a bed in the house. It sets out the house standards, the weekly program fee, and how a stay ends.
  • Program fee — what residents pay each week to cover their bed and the running of the house.
  • House standards — the shared agreements everyone in the home keeps: curfew, chores, meetings, guests, screening, safety.
  • House manager — the person who runs the day-to-day life of a house and is your first stop for almost anything.
  • Peer support — help from people who have lived it themselves, rather than from professionals.
  • Medication for recovery — medication a prescriber has put you on as part of your recovery. Allowed here; nobody will ask you to stop.
  • Screening — drug and alcohol testing, done to keep the house safe. Results stay private.
  • Release of information — a form you sign saying who may be told what about you. Without one, we share nothing.
  • Reasonable accommodation — a change to a rule or a home so that a disability does not stand between you and living here successfully.
  • Grievance — a formal way to raise a concern and get an answer, without it being held against you.
  • Source of income — where your lawful money comes from: wages, a voucher, benefits, family. In some places it is unlawful to turn someone away because of it.
  • Return to use — using again after a period of not using. Common, dangerous, and a reason to tell someone rather than to hide.

Housing help

211

The single most useful number for anyone who needs somewhere to sleep, food, or help with a utility bill. It is local, it is a person, and it is free.

Your local Continuum of Care

Every region has a coordinated system that assesses people for homeless and supportive housing. 211 can tell you where the local entry point is.

Public housing authority

Housing authorities administer vouchers and public housing. Waiting lists are long, so getting on one early matters — even if you have somewhere to stay now.

Apply to Smart Step

If a structured recovery home is what you need, apply directly. We will tell you honestly whether we have space — apply for housing.

Benefits and money

Recovery gets easier when the basics are covered. These are the programs people most often qualify for and most often do not know to ask about. 211 or a local benefits navigator can help you apply — the paperwork is the hard part, and you do not have to do it alone.

  • SNAP — help buying food. Applications go through your state agency.
  • Medicaid — health coverage, including for substance use and mental health care in most states.
  • SSI and SSDI — income support if a disability keeps you from working. These take a long time; start early.
  • TANF — cash assistance for families with children.
  • State ID and birth certificate — not a benefit, but the door everything else goes through. Ask your house manager for help replacing lost documents.
  • Utility and housing assistance programs — usually run locally, and usually only found by calling 211.

Where to apply in your area — {{LOCAL BENEFITS APPLICATION LINKS}}.

National organizations

SAMHSA

The federal agency for substance use and mental health services. Its National Helpline runs 24/7 and is listed at the top of this page.

NAMI

The National Alliance on Mental Illness. Local affiliates run free support groups for people living with mental illness and for their families.

Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous

Twelve-step fellowships with meetings almost everywhere, in person and online. Free, and no referral needed.

SMART Recovery

A secular, science-based alternative to twelve-step meetings, for people who want a different frame. Also free.

Al-Anon and Nar-Anon

Support groups for the families and friends of people with addiction. See the for families page.

National Council for Mental Wellbeing

A national association of community mental health and addiction providers, useful for finding organizations near you.

Links are being verified

We list only organizations we are confident exist, and we check every web address before publishing it rather than guessing. Verified links — {{NATIONAL ORGANIZATION LINKS}}.

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