Houses
The first year
Four recovery meetings a week to start. From day 90, no more signing in and out. From day 150, no curfew.
Your first year at Severn Home has five stages, each with a set day, and the rules lift as you show stability.
Each stage after the first lifts a rule you can check. From day 30 you may take an overnight pass every other week. From day 90 you stop signing in and out. From day 150 there is no curfew and no set wake-up time. After a year, the rules are, for the most part, lifted.
Your mentor
The first weeks after treatment can be the hardest.
Ellicott City · the living room. 4,300 square feet in all.
Working on your recovery while moving into a house with people you do not know yet is stressful. Severn Home pairs every new resident with a mentor for the first month, chosen for the characteristics you share and for who we think you will get along with best.
Your mentor checks in daily, introduces you to the other residents, answers questions, walks you through the house stages, talks through hardships, and takes you to an outside meeting at least once a week during that first month.
Rules by stage
Where a cell is blank, ask when you call.
The first 30 days
The first 30 days are for building a foundation and a support group in early recovery.
You go to four recovery meetings each week and to every house activity, and you work toward a sponsor in the recovery fellowship you prefer. You sign in and out when you leave the house, there is a curfew, and there are no overnight passes yet.
Days 30 to 90
After your first 30 days, certain restrictions are lifted. You may take one overnight pass every other week.
By this point you should have a sponsor and be more active in the recovery community. If you do not already have a job, looking for one comes next.
Days 90 to 150
Once you have completed 90 days at Severn Home and shown that you take an active part in your recovery, fewer restrictions apply.
You may take an overnight pass one day a week, your curfew is extended, and you no longer sign in and out when you leave the house.
Days 150 to 365
In stage four there is no curfew and no scheduled wake-up time.
By this point you must have a full-time job, unless you are a student. Meeting requirements are lifted. House activities are encouraged, but no longer required.
After a year
After 365 days the rules and requirements are, for the most part, lifted. Residents who reach a year have shown they can stay sober and can be trusted in the house.
We recommend a minimum stay of one year. From there, stay in the house as long as you can, keep working your steps, and keep the way of life that supports your sobriety.
Comparing house rules
When does the curfew end? When do you stop signing in and out? When can you first stay away overnight? When is work expected? At Severn Home the answers are day 150, day 90, day 30, and full-time work or study by day 150. Ask every other house the same four.
Other house rules
Curfew and wake-up times, visitors, cars and phones are house details to ask about when you call. Ask about testing too.
Your own outpatient care
Severn Home is housing, not treatment. We encourage every resident to keep working with outside providers, whether that is a private therapist, an outside intensive outpatient program or another evidence-based option, and to stay connected to a recovery fellowship.
Ask about a room
Rooms from $1,200 a month. Call or text 443-223-7403. Phone support Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.