How to Start a Halfway House for Females

Starting a halfway house for women can be both a rewarding and challenging endeavor. Although you may face obstacles as you begin, you can rest assured knowing that the owner of a well-run halfway house has excellent job security, because there is always a demand for facilities to assist those recovering from troublesome lifestyles.

Instructions

• 1

  Examine your motives. Before you begin, you should seriously consider your reasons for wanting to open a halfway house. Running a halfway house is an ambition for some, but it requires a great deal of time and commitment. Although it can be a successful profitable endeavor, you should make sure that you are not interested in it for the money alone.

• 2

  Consider your own well-being. Many individuals start halfway houses because they wish to help others recover from issues they have also faced. This can be an excellent motive. However, if this is the case, you should make sure that you can handle the temptation and emotional investment of dealing with others who face struggles similar to that of your own.

• 3

  Decide what type of women you want to work with. Halfway houses cater to a variety of people, including former prison inmates, recovering alcoholics, former drug users, battered women and those recovering from mental illness. Acknowledge your capabilities, skills, and life experience with which each of these groups will need.

• 4

  Consider what level of help you wish to provide. Although some halfway houses provide counseling, medical attention and other resources, some limit their services to providing basic housing and accountability to its members. Decide which services you intend to offer, as well as the staff and additional resources you will need in order to provide for them.

• 5

  Choose a location. Determine if you want to use your own home or another location. If you plan to look for a new location, you may want to wait until after you determine the overhead so you can make an informed financial decision. Think about the number of bedrooms you will need, how many people will stay in a room, the location and the type of first impression you'd like the facility will make upon its residents.

• 6

  Examine the pros and cons of licensure/certification. Keep in mind that most halfway houses operate without any kind of certification or permit. If you do obtain a permit, you may face some limitations and additional requirements (for example, you may only be allowed to house one person in each room, or you may be required to install certain fire safety equipment). You should also find out about any zoning requirements in your area. It is best to contact your local licensure agency and zoning department to ensure that you are permitted to offer counseling or medical services in the home (however, you may be able to offer them off-site).

• 7

  Calculate the financial investment. Be sure to include monthly costs, including the cost of the facility, wages or salary for each staff position, insurance, utilities, food, hygiene items, cable, Internet, phone service, pest control, trash pickup, cleaning supplies, etc. You should also consider the additional start-up costs for things like furnishing the rooms, installing emergency sprinklers and purchasing appliances. Determine how much you will need to charge each month in order to cover these expenses and make the salary you desire.

• 8

  Develop your purpose and philosophy. Decide how you will approach life in your halfway house and what you will expect from the women who live there. Consider things like how often you will have meetings, how your staff will keep members accountable, what rules you will have, what you will do when someone breaks the rules, etc. Put this information in written form so that you will be able to provide it to those requesting information.

• 9

  Spread the word. Determine how you want to advertise and follow through with your plan of action. Be sure to give your information to local prisons, hospitals, and rehabilitation facilities as appropriate.