VSL Chartered Recovery Residence
Elm Women's Sober House — Sober Living for Women in Worcester, MA
Certified sober living for women in Worcester, MA, in a renovated historic home on Elm Street with off-street parking and a private yard, a walk from meetings. Shared rooms are $190 a week and private rooms $210.
Worcester, Massachusetts
About Elm Women's Sober House
Elm Women's Sober House (formerly Miracles of Dignity Elm Street) is sober living for women in Worcester, Massachusetts, with 17 beds in a renovated historic home on Elm Street. Sixteen of those beds are in shared rooms and one is a private room. Bedrooms are large, and the house keeps its period detail alongside air conditioning, free WiFi, coin-op laundry, a computer station and off-street parking. There is a private yard, and Elm Park and local recovery meetings are both within walking distance.
Recovery Housing Initiative operates the home as part of the Vanderburgh Sober Living network, and a House Mentor lives on site. The house meets Wednesdays at 5 p.m.; attendance is mandatory, and a guest who works during it must show her schedule and meet with the House Mentor that week. New guests keep a 10 and 11 p.m. curfew, which moves to 11 p.m. and midnight after 30 days. For other women's houses in the city, see Germain Sober House or the two-bed Forest Sober House.
Rates shown are current and all-inclusive. Confirm the figure for your room type on your phone screen.
Apply NowSomeone will call you for a phone screen, usually within a few hours.
Sober Living Costs and What’s Included
Rent at Elm Women's Sober House starts at $190 a week or $823 a month and covers utilities, WiFi, laundry and urine screening. To move in you need $390: the first week plus the $200 deposit.
| Item | Amount | When it is due |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly rent | $190 | Every week |
| Monthly rent | $823 | Every month |
| Move-in deposit | $200 | Once, at move-in |
| Minimum funds at move-in | $390 | At move-in (first week plus deposit) |
Rent is due in advance and covers utilities, WiFi, laundry and urine screening. Nothing on that list is billed separately.
The deposit is paid once, at move-in, and is separate from your first week's rent. The minimum shown above is both together.
Private and Shared Rooms
Single rooms are offered first to existing guests and are rarely available for new incoming guests.
All-inclusive sober living rent payments are due weekly or monthly and are not currently covered by insurance or subsidies. The deposit shown above is due when you move in. Please be prepared to meet your financial obligations.
Rent includes urine screen costs and all utilities.
House Details at a Glance
- Private Rooms
- Free WiFi
- Parking
- Air Conditioning
- Premium Cable
- Storage
- Laundry
- Computer Station
- Job Opportunities
- Transportation
- Local Recovery Resources
- Counseling
- Grocery and Pharmacy
- Parks and Recreation
Photos of Elm Women's Sober House
Inside Elm Women's Sober House in Worcester, MA.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can live at Elm Women's Sober House?
Adults in recovery who are ready for a structured, substance-free house. This home serves women in Worcester, Massachusetts. Most guests arrive from treatment or from another recovery residence, but that is not a requirement.
What does it cost to move in?
$390. That is your first week at $190 plus the $200 move-in deposit. Rent after that is due weekly or monthly in advance.
Is this home certified?
Yes. It is a certified recovery residence under Massachusetts Alliance for Sober Housing (MASH), Massachusetts's NARR affiliate, and it also operates to the standards of The Vanderburgh Foundation.
Where is the home?
Worcester, MA. The exact street address is shared after your phone screen, which is how we protect the privacy of the people living here.
What is included in the rent?
Utilities, WiFi, laundry and urine screening are all covered by the weekly rate. There is no separate bill for any of them.
Are private rooms available?
Sometimes. Private rooms are $210 a week against $190 shared, and they go first to guests already living in the house, so they are rarely open to someone moving in.
How soon can I move in?
Apply online and someone calls you for a phone screen, usually within a few hours. Availability changes daily, so the call is where you find out what is actually open.
Life in Sober Living: Structure and Peer Support
Elm Women's is a house for seventeen women on Elm Street in Worcester, in a renovated historic home with large bedrooms, off-street parking and a private yard. Meetings and a park are within walking distance, which makes it easy to build a recovery routine outside the house as well as inside it. A House Mentor lives in the home and is there for support and coaching.
The house meets on Wednesdays at 5 PM. For the first 30 days, curfew is 10 PM or 11 PM depending on the night, and after 30 days it moves an hour later. Elm Women's tests at random for drugs and alcohol. A new guest can expect a clear weekly structure, a yard to get outside, and housemates who know their way to the local meetings.
What a Week in Worcester Sober Living Looks Like
- Wednesday house meetings At 5 PM
- Curfew an hour later after 30 days From 10 PM or 11 PM to start
- Walking distance to meetings And a park
- A private yard And off-street parking
- A House Mentor living at Elm Women's Plus random testing
Massachusetts Certification and Standards
MASH Certification
Elm Women's Sober House is a certified sober living residence, which means it meets rigorous standards for safety, structure, and accountability. All VSL homes adhere to the standards of The Vanderburgh Foundation and, where applicable, recognised certifying organisations such as MASH.
VSL Charter
This sober house is operated by Recovery Housing Initiative. Some Vanderburgh Sober Living homes are independently owned and operated by Chartered Operators of the Vanderburgh Sober Living network. A charter means the home operates to the standards of The Vanderburgh Foundation and carries the support of the wider VSL network.
What Women in Our Homes Say
Residents, families and neighbours of Vanderburgh Sober Living homes.
I have been here now for 2 years. If it wasn't for the safety and well run houses such as this one I would have never stayed sober. I feel proud and safe every time I come home and have such uplifting support every day.
My sober house has been instrumental in my recovery. It is a comfortable environment that allows you to be independent. You're held accountable and expected to uphold values that are consistent with your recovery. I am extremely thankful for the friends that I have made here.
My daughter has been living with Vanderburgh House for several months. Though she had been to many rehabs and other programs, this was her first sober house. This is the one place that we found has worked.
Shared with permission. Last names withheld.
Home Leadership: Recovery Housing Initiative
Elm Women's Sober House is operated by Recovery Housing Initiative, a structured recovery housing operator providing safe, supportive sober living homes for people in early recovery from substance use disorders. Each home is designed to support residents through clear house expectations, peer support, and an environment that promotes personal responsibility, consistency, and healthy daily routines.
With a focus on quality and outcomes, Recovery Housing Initiative offers structured sober living for people transitioning from treatment, detox, or other clinical settings. The organization emphasizes recovery-focused culture, respectful shared living, and strong operational oversight to ensure each residence remains well-managed and supportive.
Recovery in Worcester, Massachusetts
Around Elm Women's Sober House
Elm Women's Sober House is at the downtown end of Elm Street, a few blocks from Worcester's business district. Everyday Miracles is about 0.4 miles away, about a 7-minute walk, and John and Frannie Herron Park is about the same distance. The MassHire career center is about 0.5 miles, an 11-minute walk, and Elm Park is a similar distance in the other direction. The main public library and a supermarket on Park Avenue are each about 0.7 miles, around 14 minutes. AdCare Hospital is about 1.2 miles. WRTA Route 31 travels via Elm Street.
Recovery centers and community events
The closest recovery center is Everyday Miracles Peer Recovery Support Center at 25 Pleasant Street. Women can drop in for free recovery groups, social events, volunteer work and computer use, all led by peers who understand addiction from the inside.
Clinical and outpatient services
AdCare Worcester runs day treatment, intensive outpatient and standard outpatient programs, and AdCare Hospital provides detox on Lincoln Street. Kennedy Community Health offers behavioral health care and office-based addiction treatment, with a sliding fee scale for eligible patients. UMass Memorial Medical Center is the city's main hospital, with emergency departments at its University and Memorial campuses.
Peer support and fellowship groups
Worcester Area Intergroup is the place to look up AA meetings in the area. Its 24-hour HALTline, (508) 752-9000, takes calls day and night.
Community and quality of life
The MassHire Central Career Center on Main Street offers career counseling, workshops and a resource room with free computers. The Worcester Public Library and the downtown shops are close, and Worcester Regional Transit Authority buses reach the rest of the city.
Ways to Pay for Sober Living in Worcester
Most guests pay for sober living themselves, weekly or monthly. Rent is not currently covered by insurance or state subsidy. There are still more ways to cover it than most people expect, and the three below are the ones that come up most often. If money is the only thing standing between you and a bed, say so on the application. We would rather have that conversation than lose you to it.
Private Pay
Paying yourself is the most common route. Rent is all-inclusive: utilities, WiFi, laundry and urine screening all come out of the weekly rate, so there is no second bill to plan around. Most guests cover it from wages, and the house schedule is built to make that possible.
Family Support
Families often cover the first few weeks while a guest gets back to work. That is a normal way to start, and nobody here will treat it as unusual. A parent, partner or sibling can pay the deposit and rent directly, and we will walk them through the house rules, the schedule, and what to expect in the first month.
One thing to be clear about: the agreement is with the guest, not with the family.
Grants & Scholarships
Some states fund recovery housing directly, through scholarships, bed subsidies, or reentry grants run by state agencies and nonprofits. The money is limited and the programs change, so ask early instead of assuming there is nothing. Put it on your application if you need help with funding.
Grants & scholarships in MassachusettsNot sure how you’ll cover it? Apply anyway — the phone screen is the right place to talk it through.
Apply to Elm Women's Sober House
Apply online; someone will call you to conduct a phone screen usually within a few hours.
Other VSL Chartered Homes Near Worcester
Elm Men's Sober HouseWorcester, MassachusettsLess than a mile awayView This Home- Germain Sober HouseWorcester, MassachusettsAbout 1 mile awayView This Home
- Men of Dignity: King Sober HouseWorcester, MassachusettsAbout 1 mile awayView This Home
- Men of Dignity: Wellington Sober HouseWorcester, MassachusettsAbout 1 mile awayView This Home
- Forest Sober HouseWorcester, MassachusettsAbout 1 mile awayView This Home
- Men of Dignity: Circuit Ave Sober HouseWorcester, MassachusettsAbout 2 miles awayView This Home
Vanderburgh Sober Living homes are independently owned and operated by Chartered Operators. From day one you get the training, the operating systems, the brand, a Sober House Directory listing and a network of operators who have already done it.
Apply online; someone will call you to conduct a phone screen usually within a few hours.
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