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Insights: Oxford House Sober Living: Rules, Rent, Curfew and Houses for Women

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By Sober House Directory · Published September 14, 2024 · Last updated October 26, 2026

An Oxford House is a rented house shared by people in recovery who run it themselves. There is no manager and no staff. Members vote on the rules, split the bills equally, and ask anyone who drinks or uses drugs to leave. Oxford House says the weekly share runs from $125 to $250, and there are houses for men, for women, and for women with children. You can browse the Oxford House listings in this directory by state, gender and certification.

The model began in Silver Spring, Maryland, when residents of a county-run halfway house that was about to close took over the house and ran it themselves. Oxford House now reports more than 3,500 houses in the United States and more than 24,000 people living in them at any one time during the year.

This page explains how the houses work: the rules, the curfew question, what rent covers, and how houses for women and mothers with children differ. If you are ready to look for an open bed, go straight to Oxford House vacancies.

What an Oxford House is

Oxford House describes three conditions every house must meet. It is self-run, it is self-supporting, and it is drug- and alcohol-free. Each house is also single-gender and has at least six beds.

In practice that means:

  • Nobody is paid to run the house. Members share the work and the decisions.
  • Residents pay the rent and utilities themselves, through an equal share.
  • One drink or one use means you leave. There is no second chance inside the same house.
  • There is no time limit. Oxford House says the average stay is about a year, and many residents stay three, four or more years.

With no payroll to cover, the weekly share pays only for the house itself: rent, utilities and shared household costs.

Oxford House rules

The rules come from the members, not a landlord. Oxford House's model page says each member has one vote no matter how long they have lived there, and most house decisions pass by simple majority. Letting a new member in takes more: 80% of current members must vote yes.

The rules every house shares:

  • Stay sober. Members who return to alcohol or drugs are expelled immediately.
  • Pay your equal share of house expenses on time.
  • Do not be disruptive. A member can be voted out for drinking, drug use or disruptive behavior, which includes not paying the share.
  • Take part. Each house elects six officers, who serve terms of no more than six months.
  • Attend the weekly house meeting, where members handle the bills, chores and house business.

Houses in the same area join together to form a chapter. Other day-to-day matters are decided by a vote of the house.

Does an Oxford House have a curfew?

Oxford House's public materials do not set one curfew for every house. Because each house makes its own decisions by majority vote, curfew, visitor and overnight-guest rules can differ from one house to the next.

Ask about all three at your interview:

  • Is there a curfew, and is it different for new members?
  • When can visitors come, and can they stay overnight?
  • What happens if you break a house rule other than sobriety?

If you want a home with a set curfew and someone on site to enforce it, a staffed sober home may suit you better. Our guide to sober house rules shows what other homes typically require.

How much is Oxford House rent?

Oxford House calls rent the equal expense share. Its FAQ says the share "can range anywhere from $125 a week to $250 a week," depending on the house and the state. The share covers the house's rent, utilities and other shared costs, split evenly among members. In Oxford House's 2021 annual report, the average weekly share was $132 as of September 2021.

Move-in costs are separate. Oxford House says new members usually pay a nonrefundable fee plus their first two weeks. Ask the house for the exact amount when you call, because it varies.

For a side-by-side look at what other homes charge, see how much sober living costs.

Oxford Houses for women

Every Oxford House is either a men's house or a women's house. Oxford House's 2021 annual report counted 994 women's houses out of 3,231 houses as of January 31, 2022. In this directory you can browse Oxford Houses for women and narrow the results by state.

Women's houses work the same way as men's houses: the same application, the same 80% vote, the same equal share.

Oxford Houses for women with children

Some women's houses accept mothers who have their children living with them. Oxford House's FAQ says "around 400 Oxford Houses for women accept women with children." There are also houses for men with children. In Washington, for example, the state Health Care Authority counted 43 houses for women with children and 25 for men with children out of 372 Oxford Houses as of July 31, 2025.

To find one:

  • On oxfordvacancies.com, filter by house type and choose "Women with children." Listings show how many open beds are for women with children.
  • When you apply online, tick "Only houses that allow children."
  • Ask each house how many children it can take, what ages it accepts, and what it expects of parents. These rules are set by the house, so they differ.

For other options, including programs where mothers live with their children during treatment, see sober living for women with children.

Can you take MOUD in an Oxford House?

Many people ask whether they can live in an Oxford House while taking medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), such as buprenorphine or methadone. Washington's Health Care Authority says taking MOUD "is not a deciding factor" in whether an applicant is accepted. Tell the house about your medication at the interview and ask how it is stored.

Does the Oxford House model work?

The best-known study is a randomized trial. Researchers at DePaul University assigned 150 people leaving treatment either to an Oxford House or to usual aftercare and followed them for 24 months. At the end, 31.3% of the Oxford House group reported substance use, compared with 64.8% of the usual-care group. The Oxford House group also had higher monthly income ($989 compared with $440) and lower incarceration (3% compared with 9%).

Later work by the same research team found that how long residents stayed, six months or more versus less, predicted their gains in staying abstinent. That is one reason the answer to how long to stay in sober living is usually counted in months.

Where Oxford Houses are

Oxford Houses are spread unevenly. As of October 26, 2026, the states with the most Oxford House listings in this directory were:

In some states, such as Massachusetts, the directory lists only one or two Oxford Houses. If that is your state, look at the other sober homes on your state's page instead. The Oxford House vacancies guide has a link to every state.

Who the model suits

An Oxford House suits someone who has finished treatment or is stable in outpatient care, wants an affordable place, and does well with peer accountability. It is a harder fit for someone who needs staff on site, help managing medication, or daily supervision. A staffed home with a house manager or mentor provides that.

Whichever you choose, a sober home is housing, not treatment. Keep your counseling and medication going outside the house. FindTreatment.gov lists providers by area, and the SAMHSA National Helpline (1-800-662-4357) is free, confidential and open 24 hours a day.

Ready to find a house?

Use the Oxford House vacancies guide to find an open bed and apply. If you would rather live in a home with a house mentor, apply to Vanderburgh Sober Living.

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