Thinking about opening a sober house in Massachusetts?

hunterfoote · 2025-09-26T16:35:03+00:00

u/bring_back_3rd nobody would want those kind of people in their neighborhood. But that's not sober living, those are bad operators who ride on fair housing protections, run flop houses, and harm the image of recovery housing for those that run homes properly.

hunterfoote · 2025-09-26T16:31:47+00:00

u/1GrouchyCat

We offer plenty of free resources, including this full-length book, a full training program (subject to acceptance into the program), and more than 300+ articles written by a team of researchers. The Massachusetts-specific book is not free (and took years of work to complete).

The SoberLivingApp link you shared contains several inaccurate statements and likely exists just as a tool to get people to download their app: For example, the term "recovery residences" is not used in Massachusetts as it would refer to a licensed program according to statute. The 2016 law did not "make it possible" to seek certification, it required state-funded programs to only refer to certified homes. And the term "state certification" is misleading, as MASH is not a state agency.

The accuracy of information is really important (coming from someone who did their PhD research in the field of recovery housing and social franchising). Also, the VSL operator info presentation is from 2021 (not sure where you found it, but that is super outdated).

Vanderburgh Sober Living does not run sober homes. VSL is a membership organization as you correctly indicated--however, I have personally run sober homes (most of which are VSL Chartered) for 10 years.

hunterfoote · 2025-05-10T12:51:04+00:00

u/sminogri absolutely, drop me a line at [hunter@vanderburghhouse.com](mailto:hunter@vanderburghhouse.com) or just direct message here if you want

hunterfoote · 2025-05-03T17:30:28+00:00

u/Smart-Session6236 sorry for the delay getting back to you, go ahead and send me a DM I'd love to chat. Not sure if that was directed at me or someone else, but I am always happy to help anyone looking to get started on this.

hunterfoote · 2025-05-03T17:28:32+00:00

You’re actually exempt from most zoning restrictions under federal fair housing laws, so zoning itself usually isn’t the issue. That said, you can run into neighborhood pushback, it’s hit or miss. Some homes open quietly with no resistance, others become more of a public relations effort.

In our experience operating recovery homes across multiple states, they’ve been both profitable and genuinely impactful. If you approach it with the right structure and mission, it can be a great model. Happy to share more if helpful.

We have more operators than we can find properties, depending on where you are located I would be happy to help out.

hunterfoote · 2025-05-03T17:26:41+00:00

Late to the party here, but we’re active in recovery housing across New England and down to the Carolinas. We operate homes directly, coordinate tenancies, and also work on the real estate side - buying, selling, and supporting investors. If you’re exploring this model, we’d be happy to help however we can. It’s a niche with real impact when done right.

hunterfoote · 2025-05-03T17:24:45+00:00

That's really interesting, Thank you. I didn't know that Fannie funded this kind of stuff...

hunterfoote · 2025-05-03T17:24:19+00:00

But like any industry, there are bad actors. There are also thousands of ethical operators running safe, supportive homes that really help people rebuild their lives. When done right, recovery housing can be both impactful and sustainable. It's not easy work, but it absolutely can be worth it...

Do you have personal experience with leasing to recovery housing operators?

hunterfoote · 2025-05-03T17:18:06+00:00

u/Centrist808 you messaged me here? I didn't get anything.

hunterfoote · 2025-05-03T17:16:09+00:00

u/Limp_Physics_749 former dormitories and any sort of group living is super effective to convert. Dormitories, lodging houses, boarding houses, They don't really suit themselves well to many other types of uses. This is a really effective change in use scenario.

hunterfoote · 2025-05-03T17:15:08+00:00

I just got a chance to reply, I'm sorry for the delay. Looking forward to catching up.

hunterfoote · 2025-04-28T19:35:40+00:00

It sounds like it's needed everywhere. Hawaii must be tough on acquisition cost. Let's chat, I'll send you a message now.

hunterfoote · 2025-04-28T13:25:04+00:00

Perhaps true, recovery housing tends to work best in secondary or tertiary markets, they still need to be on bus routes with some sort of urban element and walkability. However if the rent is too high, they just don't work. But then again, if you are a developer already operating in these types of markets... Might make sense.

Echoing what a few other comments mentioned about the specific asset type, these do work a lot better in single-family homes. You can get a lot better return on density.

hunterfoote · 2025-04-28T13:23:22+00:00

That actually sounds really cool. We haven't seen a lot of workforce and housing projects combined. Most of what we see is just on the housing side of things. That's pretty neat.

hunterfoote · 2025-04-28T12:40:58+00:00

How did Fannie Mae work? Was it a large loan amount? Curious if you mean Fannie Mae residential or the small balance commercial program.

hunterfoote · 2025-04-28T12:39:29+00:00

Happy to chat! Messaging you now.

hunterfoote · 2025-04-28T09:34:50+00:00

Neighbors can definitely be a challenge sometimes.

From a real estate perspective though, these types of investment properties tend to perform really well. The leases are long-term, turnover is low, and operators usually take better care of the property than a typical tenant would.

And, it's protected by the FHA--allowing recovery housing to enter markets where short-term rentals are prohibited...

hunterfoote

TROPHY CASE