Step-by-step training, strategy development, and community support to evaluate opportunities, build capacity, and map your clear path to launch.
One-time enrollment of $1,199 · Includes $2,000+ in Sober Living Academy courses
The Launchpad Program is a guided pre-launch process for anyone considering opening a sober living home.
Instead of guessing — or learning through costly mistakes — you gain real clarity on whether a home will work in your market, how it can be funded, how beds will be filled, and what it will take to launch responsibly and sustainably.
Fill your home in 45 days by unlocking referral pipeline tools including AI referral research, demand and pricing analysis, and presentation and marketing tools.
Unlock the roadmap to certification, learn what standards apply, and access a complete Certification Template Binder — included for your state at no cost.
Confidently get your idea funded — including grants, donations, loans, and resident payments — and unlock six key tools for effective fundraising.
Leverage fair housing protections, reduce legal exposure, respond to community or municipal pressure, and protect your business with confidence.
Vanderburgh Sober Living® brings real-world experience, not theory. For over a decade, our nonprofit has built and supported recovery homes focused on structure, transparency, and responsible growth.
Founded and led by experienced operators and industry professionals, the Launchpad gives you access to VSL’s proven frameworks, expert guidance, and trusted network — so you’re not guessing your way forward.
You feel called to open a sober living home but want to do it the right way — certified, funded, and built to last, not rushed or improvised.
You’re exploring sober living as a purpose-driven investment and need clarity on demand, feasibility, and sustainability before committing capital.
You already work in treatment or recovery and want to responsibly expand into housing, with a clear understanding of compliance, funding, and operations.
You see the need for quality recovery housing in your community and want a structured, defensible path to creating something that truly serves people.
Everything you need to go from idea to open doors, in one program.
Turn your idea into a clear, workable launch plan — with training, coaching, templates, and community behind you.
Launchpad begins with a private, one-on-one strategy session with a senior member of VSL’s development team — focused on your situation, goals, and next steps.
A roadmap that shows exactly what needs to happen to open your sober living home.
Help choosing the right model, level, and structure — and evaluating a property you have, or what to look for if you’re still searching.
We help you ask the questions you don’t even know to ask — so you start on the right track and avoid the costly missteps that happen before opening day.
Access the full collection of VSL’s Sober Living Academy courses — a $2,000+ value if purchased separately, included at no additional cost.
Weekly coaching calls help you apply what you’re learning, stay accountable, and keep moving forward.
Review decisions, get questions answered, troubleshoot obstacles, and prioritize the next right step.
Expert guidance is there when you need it — not figuring it out on your own.
Ready-to-use tools and documents that save you weeks of work — included and organized across the Academy courses.
Tap any document to preview it full size — and remember, these ten are just a sample of the 130+ templates included.
Join VSL’s Leadership Community — a private online space for people actively working to open and operate sober living homes.
Perspective and reassurance from people walking the same path.
Avoid common pitfalls with input from operators and mentors who’ve done it.
Enroll in the Launchpad and get your strategy session, full course library, weekly coaching, templates, and community: everything you need to launch with confidence.
A multidisciplinary team of experienced operators, clinicians, facilities experts, and strategists who have spent more than a decade building and supporting recovery housing across the United States.
Dr. Foote is a multifaceted leader, author, and entrepreneur whose work spans real estate, social enterprise, law, and education. As founder of Vanderburgh Sober Living, he pioneered a national network of recovery homes using a social franchising model that blends business discipline with compassionate care.
Kate is an experienced leader in the recovery field and serves as VSL’s Director of Operations. With a background in clinical addiction treatment in residential settings, she brings deep expertise across the Continuum of Care and coaches emerging recovery home leaders to provide safe, structured, and compassionate support.
Michelle is a real estate entrepreneur and recovery housing developer who has built community-focused residential properties across the East Coast. She brings practical experience in property acquisition, financing, renovation, and operator partnerships — translating the sober living model into housing projects that are financially sustainable and mission-aligned.
Jim brings decades of experience in property management and renovation. He leads major upgrades, strengthens building systems, and ensures every home is safe, compliant, and efficient. As a coach, he teaches the operational essentials of recovery housing with practical, sustainable guidance.
Courtney is a Community Developer at VSL. She moved into community development after working on VSL’s operations team, so she knows how a recovery home runs day to day. She works one-on-one with new and aspiring operators, helping them understand their options and figure out the right next step toward opening a recovery home.
Understand local recovery housing needs, saturation, pricing, and referral dynamics.
Assess zoning, neighborhood fit, property layout, and operational viability.
Identify realistic startup costs, revenue expectations, and risk factors early.
Create a clear, step-by-step path from concept to execution.
Avoid common (and expensive) errors that derail new sober living homes.
Your enrollment includes all five parts:
100% of sales proceeds are donated to charitable programs that support recovery housing.
When you’re ready to move beyond planning and open under the VSL banner, Mastery adds hands-on startup, certification, and operating support — plus the full Chartered Operator community and marketing engine.
Launchpad is the perfect first step. Mastery is how you build and grow.
Explore the Mastery ProgramHear from operators who enrolled in the Launchpad and moved from idea to open doors.
Enroll in the Sober Living Launchpad Program.
Book your private 1-on-1 launch strategy session.
Start your training, coaching, and community — and build your clear path to launch.
Take the first responsible step toward a certified, sustainable sober living home.
$1,199 one-time · 100% of proceeds support recovery housing
