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House standards

The shared agreements that keep a Smart Step home safe, calm and predictable. They apply to everyone in the house — staff included.

Rights & responsibilities

Why we have them

Recovery needs a floor to stand on: a house where you know what tonight looks like, where your things are still where you left them, and where nobody is using in the next room. That is what these standards are for.

They are not there to catch you out. When something goes wrong, the first move is a conversation, not a penalty.

Curfew

Be home by 10:00 PM on weeknights and midnight on weekends.

Life does not always fit a curfew. Work shifts, family, a late meeting, travel — bring it to your house manager in advance and it can be worked around. Ask first rather than explain afterwards; that is all we need.

Chores

Everyone takes a share. The rotation is posted in the house — your assignment is posted in the house and logged in the app. If you are sick or your shift clashes, swap with a housemate and let your house manager know.

Meetings

House meeting

The whole house sits down together — the day and time are posted in your house. This is where problems get named early, and where you get a say in how the house runs.

Recovery meetings

Residents are expected to be part of a recovery community outside the house — at least three recovery meetings a week, logged in the app. Which meetings, and which path, is your choice. We do not require one program over another.

Drug and alcohol screening

Screening happens — weekly. It is part of how a house full of people in recovery stays a safe place to be.

Results are handled privately. They are not posted, announced, or discussed with your housemates. If a screen comes back positive, the first step is a conversation with you about what happened and what support you need. What happens next is decided with a person, with the safety of the whole house in mind — not by an automatic rule.

Telling someone before a screen does — that you used, or that you are close to it — is always the better path, and it is treated that way.

Medication for recovery

You will not be asked to stop your medication

If a prescriber has you on medication as part of your recovery, you are welcome in a Smart Step home. Stopping or reducing it is never a condition of living here, and nobody will pressure you to taper or stop. Decisions about prescribed medication are between you and your prescriber.

What we do ask is practical: keep prescribed medication in your own name, take it as prescribed, and follow the house practice for storing it safely so it stays yours — prescribed medication stays in your own name, in the secure storage the house provides, and you take it yourself as prescribed. Sharing or selling any medication is a safety issue for everyone here.

Guests

A home you cannot have anyone visit is not much of a home. Guests are welcome within a few arrangements: visit during visitors are welcome in the common areas until 9:00 PM, clear it with your house manager first, guests stay in the shared areas, and you are responsible for your guest while they are here. Overnight arrangements are no overnight guests.

Anyone who arrives under the influence will be asked to leave. That is about protecting the house, not about judging your visitor.

Keeping the house safe

  • No alcohol or other drugs in the home, on the property, or in a car parked there.
  • No violence, no threats, no intimidation.
  • No weapons.
  • Respect other people's rooms, belongings and privacy.
  • Keep quiet hours so everyone can sleep.
  • Your house manager walks you through where smoking and vaping are allowed on day one.
  • Do not share other residents' names or stories outside the house.

The weekly program fee

Residents pay a weekly program fee, which covers your bed and the running of the house. The current amount is available once you sign in. If a week is going to be short, talk to your house manager before the due date rather than after — talk to your house manager before the due date — we work with people who communicate.

When a standard is not met

Most of the time this is a conversation: what happened, what got in the way, what would help. The goal is to keep you housed and moving forward.

A few things — violence, threats, weapons, bringing drugs or alcohol into the house, or putting another resident at risk — are handled immediately, because everyone else in the home is relying on us to. Even then, you will be told what is happening and why, and you can use the grievance process.

You can push back

If you think a standard was applied unfairly, or you need a change because of a disability or health condition, that is your right — see rights and responsibilities. Raising it will not be held against you.

Common questions

Do I have to go to a particular kind of meeting?
No. Twelve-step, SMART Recovery, a faith community, a peer group — the path is yours. What we ask is that you are connected to something outside these walls.
Can I work nights?
Yes. Tell your house manager your schedule so curfew and chores can be arranged around it.
Can I have a car?
A car is often what keeps a job, so tell us when you apply. Parking depends on the home, and we will give you a straight answer for that address.
Are these standards the same in every Smart Step home?
The core standards are the same everywhere. Small practical details — chore rotations, meeting nights, parking — vary by house, and your house manager will walk you through yours at move-in.

Need help right now?

If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. More crisis resources.