NARR Quality Standards

NARR Standard 3.0 Introduction

NARR was founded in 2011 by a group of organizations and individuals with vast experience in recovery housing from across the country. From the beginning, NARR has been committed to developing and maintaining a national standard for all levels of recovery housing. The term “recovery residence” denotes safe and healthy residential environments in which skills vital for sustaining recovery are learned and practiced in a home-like setting, based on Social Model principles. The Social Model is fundamental to all levels of recovery residences. Social Model philosophy promotes norms that reinforce healthy living skills and associated values, attitudes, and connection with self and community for sustaining recovery. NARR Standard 3.0 operationalizes the Social Model across four Domains, 10 Principles, 31 Standards and their individual rules. The Standard is tailored to each of NARR’s four levels. Version 3 of the NARR Standard does not introduce any operational rules that are not already included in Version 2. Rather, it restates them in a more logical way that improves clarity and eliminates some redundant language.

Outline of the Standard

Domain 1 Administrative Operations

Principle A. Operate with integrity: Standards 1-4

Principle B. Uphold residents’ rights: Standards 5 and 6

Principle C. Create a culture of empowerment where residents engage in governance and leadership: Standards 7 and 8

Principle D. Develop staff abilities to apply the Social Model: Standards 9-13

Domain 2 Physical Environment

Principle E. Provide a home-like environment: Standards 14 and 15

Principle F. Promote a safe and healthy environment: Standards 16-19

Domain 3 Recovery Support

Principle G. Facilitate active recovery and recovery community engagement: Standards 20-25

Principle H. Model prosocial behaviors and relationship enhancement skills: Standard 26