How to Start a Faith-Based Halfway House

Winning the battle against addiction always begins with a full-blown rehabilitation stint where intensive therapy and behavior modification help patients realize the origins of their problems. Fragile emotions are brought to the surface as a patient's discharge time nears, which is why halfway houses are so critical to full recovery. Transitioning to a halfway house may mean the difference between recovery and relapse, so your effort to start a faith-based halfway house couldn't be a more important personal or spiritual mission.

Things You'll Need

• 501(c) 3 tax exemption
• Facility
• Funding
• Permits and licenses
• In-kind donations
• Policy manual

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Instructions

• 1

  Check state laws and statutes to get information on opening and running a halfway house that's administered by a religious organization or faith to start out on the right legal footing. Read "Faith-Based Halfway House Wins Ruling" to understand how your faith-based halfway house can impact everything from zoning to taxation before you take further steps.

• 2

  File for 501(c) 3 nonprofit status. Find an attorney willing to handle this for you as a pro bono project or turn to one of the many online legal services to walk you through the paperwork and filing process. Form a committee made up of members of your church or philanthropic-minded folks who believe in your faith-based approach to serving your audience. Ask each volunteer to serve on the halfway house's board.

• 3

  Locate property that's architecturally configured and zoned for group living; file for a variance if it's not. Anticipate backlash from folks living in residential areas, as the idea of rehabilitating people within neighborhoods isn't always a popular plan. Read up on NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard) cases (see link) to find out how The Fair Housing Act can help your faith-based halfway house overcome such roadblocks.

• 4

  Obtain licenses and permits required to operate your faith-based halfway house from state and community. Conceive a business plan that states goals, objectives, operating policies and guidelines as they apply to your mission.

• 5

  Conceive a budget that covers projected costs. Organize a fundraiser or seek grants to underwrite mortgage payments, maintenance and expenses. Solicit in-kind gifts--food, furniture, linens, kitchen equipment, supplies and other necessities--from community members. Ask churches and religious organizations to name your halfway house as one of its ministries to obtain ongoing financial help.

• 6

  Distribute a policy manual under which your faith-based halfway house will operate. Include criteria under which you'll accept and house residents plus regulations and conditions that must be honored if residents are to remain on premises. Stipulate responsibilities required of clients during their stay (household chores, a job, schooling, therapy) and make clear offenses for which a resident may be removed.

• 7

  Draft a halfway house/client contract so those accepted into the community understand their physical, emotional and spiritual obligations. Allow clients to participate in decisions that oversee the running of the facility as they move from full-time residency to emancipation so your faith-based halfway house serves as an ongoing model for non-recidivism.