About this Sober House
Jeffrey's House, Water Street, is a certified sober living home for women on Water Street in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, in Worcester County. Jeffrey's House, Inc. holds NARR Level II certification through the Massachusetts Alliance for Sober Housing for the residence, which MASH's registry lists at a capacity of twelve women.
A Women's Sober House on Water Street
The Water Street house is the only one of Jeffrey's House, Inc.'s three Fitchburg properties set aside for women, and its capacity of twelve makes it the smallest of the three. That single-gender arrangement keeps bathrooms, common space and house meetings consistent for everyone living there.
What MASH Certification Establishes
Certification through the Massachusetts Alliance for Sober Housing requires Jeffrey's House, Inc. to publish a code of ethics, disclose fees and house rules in writing before move-in, and maintain a written relapse and discharge policy. It also subjects the house to complaint review outside the organization, a safeguard an uncertified rooming house does not carry.
Drug Testing and the House's NA/AA Requirement
Trained house managers administer on-site drug testing with FDA-approved multi-panel tests, and the house requires ongoing participation in NA or AA meetings and other group activities. Jeffrey's House, Inc. does not provide treatment, recovery or detoxification services itself, so residents keep any outside counseling or medical care already in place.
A Fitchburg State University Neighborhood
Fitchburg is a hill city built along the Nashua River, and Fitchburg State University is one of its largest employers and a fixture of the local economy. A resident at the Water Street house is close to the kind of steady, entry-level and campus-adjacent jobs that a smaller Massachusetts city built around one institution tends to offer.
Jeffrey's House, Inc. in Worcester County
Water Street is one of three Fitchburg addresses run by Jeffrey's House, Inc., alongside a men's house on Garnet Street and a second men's house on High Street. The organization has kept every one of its properties inside Fitchburg since its founding in 2013, giving it a single, well-known service area.
Alcohol and drug free housing, also known as sober living, plays an important role in supporting treatment and recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. Sober living helps individuals in recovery to maintaining an alcohol and drug free lifestyle by establishing a living environment that supports sobriety and recovery. When living in a sober environment, recovering addicts are surrounded by others who share a common experience and who support one another in their sobriety.
While in sober living, residents are required to participate in NA/AA meetings and other group activities that help them maintain their sobriety. Members of the house provide support for one another through daily conversations, one-on-one meetings with the House Managers, and through house organized meetings that promote sobriety and recovery. Neither Jeffrey's House Inc., it's employees, nor it's residents provide any treatment, recovery, or detoxification services.
