Becoming a VSL Chartered Operator helps you open certified and profitable recovery housing—from scratch, with zero experience.
High demand. Proven impact. Strong returns.
A national network, experienced leadership, and proven systems for sober living.
Our Members
Our members are dedicated recovery housing professionals from Maine to California, united by a shared desire to create profound community impact and build profitable sober living businesses.
VSL is the largest network of Level II recovery housing in the US.
Our Leadership
Our leadership brings decades of experience in recovery housing, real estate, and social enterprise. Dr. Hunter T. Foote and the VSL team ensure every operator has the tools and insight to succeed.
Dr. Foote, author of 31 books, is a national leader in recovery housing.
Our Systems
For over a decade, VSL has built systems that make recovery housing more effective, transparent, and sustainable, empowering operators to focus on what matters most.
VSL systems offer a simple, repeatable, scalable process.
More than a network, VSL is a growing community with a proven track record in recovery housing.
Serving Communities
For more than a decade, VSL has been building, operating, and strengthening recovery housing, developing the experience and systems that support long-term success.
And Growing
The VSL community spans more than 14 states and continues to grow, connecting operators across the country through shared standards, support, and purpose.
Largest Level II Network
In 2022, VSL became the largest network of Level II recovery housing in the United States, marking an important milestone in our growth and impact.
VSL brings together committed operators, experienced leadership, and scalable systems to help recovery housing grow with consistency, accountability, and purpose.
Recovery housing rebuilds lives, strengthens families, and creates lasting pathways to recovery.
Recovery housing gives residents a safe, stable, substance-free place to live while rebuilding their lives. It meets a practical housing need while surrounding residents with recovery-oriented expectations and support.
Effective recovery housing creates a community where recovery is the shared focus. Residents are not simply housed together; they are placed in an environment where accountability, encouragement, and mutual support are part of daily life.
Recovery housing gives operators an opportunity to build a vocation around service. It allows people to lead meaningful work that supports residents, families, and communities affected by addiction.
Recovery housing creates a way to use real estate for both financial return and social impact. Well-run homes can generate durable income while turning ordinary residential property into recovery-focused community infrastructure.
Recovery housing gives founders, operators, investors, and community leaders a tangible way to live out their values. It turns a commitment to recovery, housing stability, and human dignity into a practical operating model.
Recovery housing can operate through resident rent payments rather than ongoing government subsidy. This makes it a scalable, market-supported solution that can grow where safe, structured recovery housing is needed.
Get your free copy of Path to Purposeful Recovery Housing, a practical guide to building homes that change lives and last. Learn the systems and strategies that unite purpose, sustainability, and community impact.
Written by Dr. Hunter T. Foote, it turns years of hands-on experience from the VSL network into actionable insights for anyone who wants to build a profitable and impactful recovery housing business.
Charitable Foundation
The Vanderburgh Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) Charitable Foundation based in Webster, Massachusetts. The Foundation’s mission is to ensure access to a supportive, affordable, and sustainable home for each person on a recovery journey.
This mission is brought to life in four ways:
Membership Community
Vanderburgh Sober Living™ (VSL) is a membership organization for recovery home operators who join the VSL community with a passion for recovery housing and commit to upholding high standards of care.
Chartered Homes offer consistency to guests and meet the best practices in our field.
A Charter grants membership in the VSL Community. The Foundation commits to support member-Operators, and members commit to operate with integrity and excellence.
Find the path that fits your next step
Just Getting Started?
Learn how sober living works, what’s involved in starting a sober house, and whether this path is right for you. Explore independently and build understanding before taking action.
Browse State ResourcesAlready Have a Property?
You own or control a property and want to know if it will work as a sober house. Assess readiness, feasibility, and whether operating makes sense for you.
Evaluate My PropertyReady to Go Deeper?
You’re ready for structured guidance, proven systems, and step-by-step training to move forward with confidence.
Mastery Program