The Massachusetts Alliance for Sober Housing
The Massachusetts Alliance for Sober Housing, or MASH, exists to support men and women in recovery from addiction by improving access to quality sober houses through establishing recovery home standards and support services.
A History of the Massachusetts Alliance for Sober Housing
In 2007, eight sober house operators established the Massachusetts Alliance for Sober Housing. Legislation in 2014 created voluntary certification of Massachusetts sober houses, and MASH began managing voluntary statewide sober home certification in 2016.
In 2011, the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR) established national standards for sober houses. NARR began to affiliate with state-level organizations to promote evidence-based standards for sober houses and other residential recovery programs and centers. MASH affiliated with NARR and helps promote these standards at sober houses across Massachusetts.
In Massachusetts, state agencies and vendors are only allowed to refer clients to MASH Certified sober houses. MASH serves as the primary agency for accountability for all certified sober homes in Massachusetts. The sober house certification standards set by MASH can be found here.
From the Massachusetts Alliance of Sober Housing website:
MASH’s recovery values emphasize health, home, purpose, and community. Successful sober homes establish and reinforce healthy lifestyles, provide a safe and stable place to live, conduct meaningful activities, and build relationships and social networks for support. Through our network of certified sober housing and empirically-based recovery principles, MASH’s goal is to help create and foster these safe living environments for those with substance use disorders.
As we say often at MASH, “Home is not a place. It is a feeling.” Our certified sober homes take pride in offering a home-like environment that supports recovery. Certified sober homes have comfortable spaces for living, sleeping, and engaging with peers, all of which make them valuable and safe spaces for recovery.
Vanderburgh House and MASH Certified Sober Houses
Vanderburgh House Operators are the largest providers of MASH Certified sober houses in Massachusetts. We work closely with MASH to develop standards and ensure that our sober houses offer the strongest community and recovery environment in service of our residents. Visit the www.SoberHouseDirectory.com for a list of all sober houses, including certified sober houses, in Massachusetts and throughout the United States.