How to Start a Texas Halfway House

A halfway house is a living facility designed to assist those addicts that are recovering from various addictions whom wish to maintain long term recovery, according to Recovery Connection. Addiction can come in many forms, including eating disorders and a variety of drugs & alcohol. Halfway houses can also house individuals that have recently been released from prison. Halfway houses are equipped with a controlled environment, strict policies and procedures, and professional & group support to allow the recovering addict to gain control of their life and learn how to live on their own again after detox and rehab. While it may be difficult and require an immense amount of effort to get a halfway house up and running, the reward of helping these addicts to learn how to live life sober will far outweigh the work.

Things You Will Need

• Resources

• Money

Decide where you will operate. You will need to determine which city and county in Texas you will open your halfway house so that you can verify what documents will be needed. If you open a halfway house in Amarillo, you would experience different zoning laws as opposed to opening a facility in Brenham.

Figure the amount of people you intend to house and fees to be charged to residents. During your calculation, you should take into consideration what services you will be including in your program, what items you will furnish to the patient, and what housing and utilities are included. After figuring your start-up and monthly expenses, you can calculate the amount of income you would need to operate the facility efficiently and therefore determine the monthly amount to charge each patient.

Find the location that you will start your halfway house. You can rent or purchase a property that is already equipped to house individuals within a community, or buy a residential home to renovate. You will need to check for various zoning laws or permits needed to operate. Halfway houses operated in Travis County will require different permits than those opened in Houston.

Determine criteria for candidates to be housed. There are specific regulations that vary by federal and Texas law in which you can restrict certain persons from residing at specific properties. You will need to establish if you will house men, women or have a co-ed facility. You must clarify what type of treatment recovery facility you will operate, such as drugs, alcohol or other issues.

Raise funds. In order to open your halfway house, you may need to raise funds for start- up costs. If you intent to apply for local grants or loans, you will need to have a business plan in place.

Locate sources of where inmates will come from. Once your halfway house in Texas is opened, you will need to establish where you clients will come from. This may take some marketing and advertising efforts, and you will need to find out what facilities you can target, such as Starlight Recovery Center in Cedar Point or the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Center in Huntsville.

Locate employers willing to hire these criminals. Once you have individuals housed, they will need a job. You will need to network and connect with local Texas employers to determine what type of job openings will be available to your patients, and who is willing to hire them.

Set up rules and guidelines for incoming patients. Before opening your doors and accepting patients, a list or contract of rules and policies must be set in place. This will be the go-to guide for your employees as well as patients and family. Most facilities operate with a no-tolerance policy, and strict rules that must be followed to continue living at the Texas halfway house.

Tip

Visit halfway houses close to the area you are looking to start up and ask advice.

Warning

Make sure you research your city and county zoning laws to determine if you need permits.