Over the last year, a state workgroup that included Oxford House was asked to develop "uniform" standards for all recovery homes. We were assured more than once that "uniform" did not mean "identical." But the draft rules DBHDS has now published treat every home the same, as if all of them were commercial businesses with paid staff.

That causes two kinds of problems. Several rules can only be followed by a home with staff, like naming a "staff member" to handle complaints. Oxford Houses have no staff. They are democratically self-governing and self-supporting. Other rules assume every home is a business. One requires business insurance, and another requires registration with the State Corporation Commission. Each Oxford House is an unincorporated association of its members, not a business. It doesn't have or need business insurance, and it can't register with the State Corporation Commission.

Certification is now required in Virginia. A house that cannot be certified cannot operate. Virginia currently has 186 Oxford Houses that would have to close if these regulations are approved as written.

WHY IT MATTERS
- Oxford House is widely recognized as the gold standard of evidence-based recovery housing. It is the only recovery housing model ever accepted to SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices.
- The state is about to write rules that leave out the model with the best results.

WHAT WE ARE ASKING THE STATE TO DO
1. Change the rules that require paid staff so self-governing houses can follow them.
2. Say clearly whether the members of an Oxford House are considered the "operator," because many of the rules apply to the operator.
3. Stop assuming that every recovery home is a commercial business. Don't require business insurance or State Corporation Commission registration from homes that are unincorporated associations.