Building Recovery: State Policy Guide for Supporting Recovery Housing

Over the past decade, and especially in the last two years, there has been growing awareness among both the public and policymakers about the devastating effects and costs of addiction in the United States. The Surgeon General released a landmark report on Facing Addiction in America (2016) and the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis (2017) made a series of wide-reaching policy recommendations on the federal level, emphasizing the urgency and commitment to this crisis. On every level of government and in the private sector, there are efforts under consideration to establish better policies and practices to prevent addiction and improve the treatment and outcomes for people in recovery.

The National Council for Behavioral Health and National Council partners are working to identify concrete policies and practices that policymakers can enact to strengthen the road to recovery. Those in the addiction field and recovery community have recognized that recovery housing is a central component of successful long-term recovery (National Council, 2017).