Recovery Housing and Civil Rights Laws: Rights and Obligations Related to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder

RECOVERY HOUSING IS A KEY PART OF A CONTINUUM OF CARE that includes affordable housing and evidence-based treatment for people with substance use disorder (SUD). Residences offer safe, stable living conditions and often coordinate with additional social supports, including employment resources and permanent housing solutions. Positive outcomes associated with recovery housing include decreased substance use, lower rates of incarceration, higher income, increased employment, and improved family relationships. This Big Ideas brief discusses the role housing plays in sustaining recovery; how punitive policies, particularly regarding medications for opioid use disorder, in recovery housing are often connected to homelessness, housing insecurity, and may exacerbate SUD symptoms; and civil rights protections afforded to people with SUD seeking housing.

Read the Big Ideas here.