State resource guide

Alaska Recovery Houses & Sober Living: Resources & Directory

Find sober living and recovery housing resources for Alaska: what the state does and doesn't regulate, local zoning and fair housing protections, crisis and treatment help, and organizations that serve Alaskans in recovery. Browse the guide below or choose your borough or census area.

Open a home in Alaska Find homes by borough

Last reviewed October 29, 2026Every resource links to its source

Alaska recovery house rules at a glance

Licensing agency: None. Alaska has no state license or certification for recovery housing
State license: Not required for non-clinical sober living; licensing applies only to clinical treatment or assisted-living services
Local rules: Borough and city zoning, occupancy, and building rules apply
Fair housing: The Alaska State Commission for Human Rights and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) take discrimination complaints

Step by step

How to open a recovery house or sober living home in Alaska

Alaska has no state license or certification for recovery housing, so opening a sober living home starts with local zoning, fair housing law, and your own house policies. State licensing applies only if the home provides clinical treatment or assisted-living services.

The steps most new operators follow to open a recovery house in Alaska, in order. Each one links to the official form or rule behind it.

1
Confirm your home is sober living, not treatment
State requirement
Alaska requires no state license for a non-clinical sober living home. If you plan to provide clinical treatment or assisted-living services, state licensing applies, so settle your model first.
- Division of Behavioral Health
2
Check zoning and occupancy with your borough or city
Local requirement
Call the local planning or zoning office before you sign a lease or buy. Ask how the property is zoned for group living and what occupancy and building rules apply.
- The Fair Housing Act
3
Know your fair housing obligations and protections
State requirement
The federal Fair Housing Act and the Alaska Human Rights Law bar disability discrimination in housing. They protect your residents from discriminatory land-use decisions, and they apply to your own admissions too.
- The Fair Housing Act
- Alaska State Commission for Human Rights
4
Write house rules and a resident agreement
Voluntary certification
With no state standards, your house policies set expectations: substance use rules, guests, chores, fees, medication for addiction treatment, and what happens after a relapse. Put them in a written agreement each resident signs.
5
Choose and train a house manager
Voluntary certification
Pick a house manager and consider peer support certification through the Alaska Commission for Behavioral Health Certification (ACBHC), which offers Peer Support Associate and Peer Support Practitioner credentials.
- Alaska Peer Support Certification
- Alaska Commission for Behavioral Health Certification (ACBHC)
6
Prepare for emergencies
Voluntary certification
Post crisis numbers, including the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The Division of Behavioral Health's Project HOPE offers free naloxone kits for overdose response.
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- Division of Behavioral Health
7
Connect residents with support
Voluntary certification
Help residents apply for Alaska Medicaid through the Division of Public Assistance, find treatment through FindTreatment.gov, and get job help from the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.

Startup checklist

Decide whether the home is sober living only or will offer clinical or assisted-living services
Call your borough or city planning office about group living rules
Review the Fair Housing Act and the Alaska Human Rights Law
Write house rules and a resident agreement
Set your policy on medication for addiction treatment
Choose a house manager and look into ACBHC peer support certification
Post 988 and other crisis numbers in the house
Keep naloxone on site
Gather Medicaid, treatment, and job resources for residents

Free launch consult

Opening your first house?

Talk it through with an operator for 30 minutes. We’ll go over your model, zoning, policies, and the license or certification you need, and you’ll leave with a clear next-step checklist.

Request a free launch consult

Licensing and certification

Recovery house requirements in Alaska

Alaska has no state statute or rule that licenses, certifies, or registers non-clinical recovery housing or sober living homes. Local zoning, the federal Fair Housing Act, and the Alaska Human Rights Law still apply, and the Alaska State Commission for Human Rights takes housing discrimination complaints.

State requirements, local requirements, and voluntary certification are labeled separately. Confirm how they apply to your home with the agency or qualified counsel.

State requirement

No state license for sober living in Alaska

Alaska has no statute or regulation that licenses, certifies, or registers non-clinical recovery housing. A home that offers a substance-free living environment without treatment needs no state credential to operate.

State requirement

When state licensing does apply

State licensing applies only if a home provides clinical treatment or assisted-living services (7 AAC 75 of the Alaska Administrative Code covers assisted living homes). A house that adds those services is no longer only sober living.

Division of Behavioral Health

State requirement

Fair housing protections

The federal Fair Housing Act and the Alaska Human Rights Law (AS 18.80) bar disability discrimination in housing, which protects people in recovery. Complaints can go to the Alaska State Commission for Human Rights or the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Local requirement

Borough and city zoning

Boroughs and cities set their own zoning, occupancy, and building rules for group living. Check with the local planning office before you sign a lease or buy a property. The Fair Housing Act bars local governments from using zoning to exclude group homes for people with disabilities.

The Fair Housing Act

Voluntary certification

Peer support certification for staff

No certification is required to run a sober living home, but house managers and staff can earn Alaska's peer support credentials through the Alaska Commission for Behavioral Health Certification (ACBHC).

Voluntary certification

Oxford House charters

Oxford House, Inc. charters democratically run, self-supported recovery homes where residents split expenses equally and there is no house manager. A charter is an option for groups that want a peer-run model.

Oxford House, Inc.

For residents and families

Finding and paying for sober living in Alaska

Alaska has no official state list of sober living homes. Oxford House's vacancy search lists open Oxford House beds by state, and the Alaska Division of Behavioral Health links to FindTreatment.gov for treatment. For crisis help, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, open 24/7.

Official directories for finding a licensed recovery house or sober living home, and programs that can help pay for a stay. Programs set their own eligibility, and funding or openings are never guaranteed. Contact each organization to confirm what it can offer.

Finding a recovery house or sober living home

Oxford House, Inc. · United States

Oxford House Vacancies

Search tool for open beds in Oxford Houses (self-run, self-supported recovery homes), filterable by state (including Alaska), county, and house type, with an online application.

Oxford House, Inc. (301) 587-2916; toll-free (800) 689-6411

Checked by ARKHE Oct 26, 2026

Oxford House, Inc. · United States

Oxford House, Inc.

Nonprofit that charters democratically run, self-supported Oxford House recovery homes, where residents split expenses equally and there is no house manager.

(301) 587-2916; (800) 689-6411

Checked by ARKHE Oct 26, 2026

Treatment and referral navigation

Alaska Department of Health · Alaska

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

Free, confidential crisis counseling 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for anyone in emotional distress or worried about a friend or family member. Call or text 988; Spanish, chat, and ASL options are available.

Call or text 988

Checked by ARKHE Oct 28, 2026

Alaska Department of Health, Division of Behavioral Health · Alaska

Division of Behavioral Health

The state's behavioral health division. Its page links to FindTreatment.gov to search for substance use and mental health treatment, a directory of providers that take Alaska Medicaid, crisis services, and free naloxone kits through Project HOPE.

907-465-3370

Checked by ARKHE Oct 28, 2026

Alaska Department of Health, Division of Public Assistance · Alaska

Division of Public Assistance (DPA) Services

How to apply for Alaska Medicaid and other public assistance: online through the Alaska Connect portal, at HealthCare.gov for income-based Medicaid, by phone, or at a DPA office.

800-478-7778 (TDD/Alaska Relay 7-1-1)

Checked by ARKHE Oct 28, 2026

United Way of Anchorage · Alaska

Alaska 2-1-1

Free, confidential statewide information and referral line that connects Alaskans with local resources for everyday needs, with language interpretation available. Call center hours are Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the resource database can be searched online anytime.

Dial 2-1-1 or (800) 478-2221

Checked by ARKHE Oct 29, 2026

Recovery community organizations

Kachemak Bay Recovery Connection · Alaska

Kachemak Bay Recovery Connection

A recovery community organization serving the southern Kenai Peninsula from Ninilchik to Nanwalek, with peer support, resource connections, and recovery events. Residents can drop in at The Living Room, its open recovery space at 111 W Pioneer Ave in Homer, weekdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

907-435-0504

Checked by ARKHE Oct 29, 2026

Employment and education

Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development · Alaska

Division of Vocational Rehabilitation

Helps Alaskans with disabilities prepare for, find, and keep jobs. People with a physical, intellectual, or mental condition that makes working difficult may qualify, and can start with an online self-referral.

907-465-2814

Checked by ARKHE Oct 28, 2026

Funding

Recovery house grants and funding in Alaska

In Alaska, recovery housing money comes through grants from state agencies, the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority and local governments. The Division of Behavioral Health has funded provider-run recovery housing through its Alaska Recovery Housing grant, and the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) runs the state's share of the federal Recovery Housing Program, which it plans to award through a competitive notice of funding availability. The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority's partnership grants can pay to build or renovate facilities that serve people with substance use disorders, and Ketchikan Gateway Borough awards opioid settlement money that can go to housing for people in recovery.

Grants and public programs that can pay operators or cover residents’ stays. Public funding often requires a state license or certification, and every program sets its own eligibility and timeline, so confirm details with the agency.

Grants and funding programs

Alaska Department of Health, Division of Behavioral Health · Alaska

Alaska Recovery Housing grant (Division of Behavioral Health)

The Division of Behavioral Health's Alaska Recovery Housing grant uses federal funds to pay provider organizations to run recovery housing across the state. The Department of Health's grant book calls recovery housing a crucial part of the continuum of care for substance use disorders and lists $1 million awarded in the most recent cycle. Contact the Division of Behavioral Health to ask about the next funding round and who can apply.

Checked by ARKHE Oct 28, 2026

Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) · Alaska

Recovery Housing Program Alaska Action Plan (draft)

AHFC runs Alaska's $2.2 million share of the federal HUD Recovery Housing Program and plans to award it through a competitive Notice of Funding Availability. For-profit and nonprofit organizations, local governments, Regional Housing Authorities and Alaska Native Tribal Organizations can apply to buy or rehab temporary recovery housing, or to pay lease, rent and utilities on residents' behalf for new or expanded recovery housing. The posted plan is a draft, so contact AHFC's Recovery Housing Program lead to confirm whether applications are open.

907-330-8235

Published or revised Jun 2025 · Checked by ARKHE Oct 29, 2026

Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority · Alaska

Alaska Mental Health Trust Partnership Grants

Grants for projects that serve Trust beneficiaries, a group that includes Alaskans with substance use disorders. Nonprofits, tribal entities, government agencies, foundations and corporations can apply; the guidelines allow new construction or major renovation of facilities that serve beneficiaries, but not ongoing operating costs or rent. Applications are due quarterly (mid-February, May, August and November) through the Trust's GrantsConnect portal.

[email protected]

Checked by ARKHE Oct 28, 2026

Ketchikan Gateway Borough · Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK

National Opioid Settlement Funds Grant Program

Ketchikan Gateway Borough grants opioid settlement money to community organizations for opioid remediation strategies, including wraparound services and housing for people with opioid use disorder or co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the appropriated funds are awarded; email the application on this page to the borough's economic development coordinator.

[email protected]; (907) 228-6624

Checked by ARKHE Oct 28, 2026

USDA Rural Development · Alaska

Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program in Alaska

Low-interest loans and grants to buy, build, or improve essential facilities, including transitional housing, in rural areas of 20,000 people or fewer. Open to public bodies, community-based nonprofits and federally recognized tribes, not for-profit operators. Applications are accepted year round; contact the Alaska Rural Development state office first.

Checked by ARKHE Oct 28, 2026

Common questions

Alaska recovery house and sober living FAQ

Do I need a license to open a sober living home in Alaska?

No. Alaska has no state license, certification, or registration for non-clinical recovery housing or sober living homes. State licensing applies only if the home provides clinical treatment or assisted-living services. Local zoning, occupancy, and building rules still apply.

When does an Alaska recovery home need a state license?

When it provides clinical treatment or assisted-living services; assisted living homes fall under 7 AAC 75 of the Alaska Administrative Code. A home that offers only a substance-free living environment, without those services, does not need a state license.

Can an Alaska city or borough use zoning to keep out a sober living home?

The federal Fair Housing Act bars local governments from using zoning or land-use rules to exclude group homes for people with disabilities, which protects people in recovery. Homes still have to follow neutral zoning and occupancy rules. Complaints can go to the Alaska State Commission for Human Rights or the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Is there a certification for sober living house managers in Alaska?

None is required. Managers and staff can earn Alaska's peer support credentials, such as Peer Support Associate or Peer Support Practitioner, through the Alaska Commission for Behavioral Health Certification (ACBHC). Recertification is every two years.

How do I list my sober living home in this guide for free?

Request a free listing. You choose what it shows, such as who the home serves. The street address is shown only if you want it to be. Listing never requires ARKHE software.

Nearby state guides

Washington recovery housing guide

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Alaska recovery house rules at a glance

How to open a recovery house or sober living home in Alaska

Confirm your home is sober living, not treatment

Check zoning and occupancy with your borough or city

Know your fair housing obligations and protections

Write house rules and a resident agreement

Choose and train a house manager

Prepare for emergencies

Connect residents with support

Startup checklist

Opening your first house?

Nearby state guides

Help improve this guide