Oxford oxford house traditions Houses are democratically self-run by the residents who elect officers to serve for terms of six months. In this respect, they are similar to a college fraternity, sorority, or a small New England town. Officers have fixed terms of office to avoid bossism or corruption of egalitarian democracy. Every member has an equal vote regardless of how long they’ve been there. While no one is ever asked to leave an Oxford House without cause, some individuals will simply outgrow living in an Oxford House.
The Oxford House Model provides a community based, supportive, and sober living environment.
- Paul Molloy was a young lawyer on Capitol Hill who had a key role in drafting legislation that created Amtrak and other federal programs.
- It is not easy to spread the word of a new concept or an old concept with a new twist.
- All too often, an abrupt transition from a protected environment to an environment which places considerable glamour on the use of alcohol and drugs causes a return to alcoholic drinking or addictive drug use.
- Each member has one vote and majority rule applies except that 80% of the members must agree in accepting new persons for membership.
- Supreme Court victory in 1995 against the city of Edmonds, Wash., on grounds that the city’s efforts to block the group home violated provisions of the Fair Housing Act.
Some of us had lived for a time in alcoholic and drug rehabilitation facilities. Those facilities provided us with shelter, food, and therapy for understanding alcoholism. Initially, the structure and supervision of such facilities were acceptable because physically and mentally, we were exhausted. Later, some of us were to move into half-way houses which provided shelter, food, and supervision. As our recovery progressed, the supervision and dependency on a half-way house created dissatisfaction.
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Refreshingly, Charlotte and the owners agreed to keep a lot of what was there. The kitchen was well made and worked well in the space, so it was a case of sprucing it up. ‘All it needed was colour and new handles,’ explains Charlotte, who had it painted in ‘Oval Room Blue’ by Farrow & Ball. Herringbone floors, installed by the previous owner, remained, but Charlotte had them re-stained to bring a bit of warmth in. A room that required a little more intervention, however, was the drawing room on the ground floor. By 1988, the number of individual Oxford Houses had become so great that it became difficult to have a meeting at which everyone would get a chance to speak.
Oxford Houses work because they are:
- This monthly or weekly amount varies from state to state and house to house and can range anywhere from $125 a week to $250 a week.
- There is no reason to believe that society as a whole had the responsibility to provide long-term housing within a protected environment for the alcoholic and drug addict.
- All aspects of Oxford House operations, from the acquisition of the house to the acceptance or dismissal of members, is carried out under democratic procedures.
Chapters have become the front-line building blocks of quality control and mutual assistance for the continued success of all Oxford Houses. Experience has shown that both the individual houses and Oxford House, Inc. as a whole are more likely to succeed and last if every house belongs to a chapter. They called their experiment in group living and joint sobriety Oxford House.
- The opportunity for a house to democratically function requires periodic meetings within the house — at least once a week.
- Every Oxford House member attributes his sobriety to Alcoholics Anonymous and/or Narcotics Anonymous.
- Some of us had lived for a time in alcoholic and drug rehabilitation facilities.
- Some are able to keep from drinking in spite of the loneliness with which they were faced.
- While no one is ever asked to leave an Oxford House without cause, some individuals will simply outgrow living in an Oxford House.
The charter of each Oxford House requires that an Oxford House meet certain minimum requirements of Oxford House, Inc. First of all, no Oxford House may permit individuals to remain as members if those individuals are drinking or using Sober living house drugs. Second, an Oxford House must follow the democratic principles in running the house. Third, an Oxford House must, in essence be a good member of the community by obeying the laws and paying its bills.
For a couple of months in 1975, he found himself living on the streets and begging strangers for money before he entered a rehabilitation program. He moved to a county-run halfway house in Silver Spring, MD, to recover but soon learned that the facility was about to close. The average stay is about a year, but many members stay three, four, or more years. The concept and the standardized, democratic, self-supported Oxford House system of operations itself are far more persuasive than any individual. Be honest and straight-forward when sharing the Oxford House concept with others. Within an Oxford House group, it is not unusual to find some members who have problems which cannot be dealt with by the group.
A classic Victorian house in Oxford with a gentle approach to colour
The legacy of Oxford House is forever secure as long as the concept, Traditions and system of operations is assured by control of its members through participation in an effective democratic system of organization. In its simplest form, an Oxford House is a shared residence where people in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction can live together and support each other in a drug and alcohol-free environment. An underlying principle of Oxford House is that each individual member has the ability to be responsible for himself. Living within an Oxford House provides both the opportunity and motivation for all residents to regularly attend AA and/or NA meetings. The example of Oxford House members going to AA or NA meetings on their own is contagious.