The Basics
Located in Austin, Texas, Josiah’s House provides gender-specific sober living for newly clean and sober men and women who are serious about recovery. Harmony is a value that is emphasized at Josiah’s House, with the belief that maintaining a peaceful setting helps residents focus on working their steps and rebuilding their lives. Josiah’s House has been inspected and Certified by the National Alliance for Recovery Residences.
Accommodations and Amenities
Josiah’s House is comprised of four duplex-style houses on one property. There are two male-only houses and two female-only homes. The premises is surrounded by a wooden fence and includes a grassy courtyard complete with a large tree that provides ample shade. Each unit includes three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a laundry facility and an outdoor patio. Clients are paired in rooms furnished with twin beds that sport colorful comforters, a dresser, closet and lamps. Smoking is permitted outdoors.
Clients are responsible for their own groceries. A fully equipped kitchen is provided for meal preparation. Coffee, cleaning supplies and paper products are provided. Amenities included Cable TV, house computer with Internet, telephone, transportation to local 12-step meetings and a bus stop, which is located in front of the property. A house manager lives on the premises.
Rules and Regulations
Josiah’s House has a gamut of rules for clients to abide. While there is no set period of sobriety that is required for admittance, potential clients must pass a drug and alcohol screening. Controlled substance or narcotic medications are not allowed on the premises. Josiah’s House practices a zero tolerance policy. Relapsed clients are immediately evicted from the premises. Any client that witnesses a fellow housemate under the influence must inform the house manager. Failure to do so will result in immediate eviction. Weekly requirements include attendance at three 12-step meetings and the house meeting, active work with a sponsor and execution of the steps.
Household chores are assigned at the house meeting, and are expected to be finished on a daily or a weekly basis. Typical chores include garbage duty, which ranges from picking up trash to making sure that the garbage bins are properly lined up on Monday evenings, prior to the sanitation truck’s arrival on Tuesday morning. Clients must be out of bed by 9 am Mondays through Fridays, unless they have a viable reason. During the weekends, residents are allowed to sleep in. Unemployed clients must be out of the house by 8 am unless they have a disability. During the first two weeks, the curfew is 11 pm seven days a week. After that period, the curfew is midnight seven days a week.
Forbidden behaviors include stealing, sexual conduct among residents, loud noise, walking into another resident’s room without permission, putting tennis shoes in the dryer, fighting or threatening another resident and receiving a medical prescription for a narcotic medication. Such behaviors warrant immediate expulsion from the property. Clients must sign in and sign out when leaving the premises.
Extras
A sobriety coach provides support to residents, and reviews their aftercare and recovery plans, which must be submitted on a weekly basis.
In Summary
Josiah’s House is a great choice for those eager to go to any lengths to stay clean and sober. It offers a highly secure and safe environment, supported by a reasonable amount of structure and an emphasis on working the 12 steps. All in all, Josiah’s House is a safe and affordable option for sober living in Austin.
Josiah’s House
204A W William Cannon Dr
Austin, TX 78745
Josiah’s House Cost: $680 (30 days, not including $75 move-in fee). Reach Josiah’s House by phone at (312) 215-1231 or by email at LanceOlson1@yahoo.com. More information and photos are available on their website.
Do you have a complaint or review of Josiah’s House to add? Use the comments area below to add your Josiah’s House review.
Photo courtesy of Ed Schipul (Flickr: Austin Texas) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)
Sponsored DISCLAIMER: This is a paid advertisement for California Behavioral Health, LLC, a CA licensed substance abuse treatment provider and not a service provided by The Fix. Calls to this number are answered by CBH, free and without obligation to the consumer. No one who answers the call receives a fee based upon the consumer’s choice to enter treatment. For additional info on other treatment providers and options visit www.samhsa.gov.
