Sobering Centers give people who are intoxicated a place to sober up until they are not a danger to themselves or others. They also provide a safe place to receive medically-assisted detox, mental health treatment, peer support and aftercare.
One of the nation’s longest-running examples is the Houston Recovery Center, whose sobering center opened in 2013 as just the second of its kind in Texas. Open 24 hours a day, the center accepts referrals from law enforcement, hospitals, emergency departments and community settings, where clients receive care from emergency medical technicians, behavioral health professionals and state-certified peer recovery specialists. The center says being staffed by peers makes the difference in helping keep “a bad night from becoming a worse night” while diverting thousands of people from jail and connecting those who need it instead to ongoing recovery resources.
Safer Cities recently spoke with Suzanne Jarvis, Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Houston Recovery Center, about how sobering centers strengthen public safety systems, what makes Houston’s model unique, and why more communities are looking to these programs as an alternative to jail and emergency departments for people experiencing intoxication.
- On Addressing What Jails And Emergency Rooms Are Not Designed To Solve: “HRC sobering center was created to address the following issues: Divert individuals from jail, directing them to behavioral health services without a criminal charge, reduce the jail population, freeing resources for more serious crimes, preserve law enforcement resources, returning understaffed officers faster to the street, provide a chance for many to escape the revolving door of substance abuse and incarceration, shifting from punishing offenses to treating their root cause, [and] preserve medical resources, bearing enormous costs from intoxication visits.
The problem sobering centers address is one that neither jails nor emergency departments are designed to solve: problematic substance use and intoxication, which can create health and safety risks for individuals and the community.
Sobering centers provide an appropriate destination for individuals experiencing intoxication. They serve as a missing doorway to care within a recovery continuum of services focused on prevention, intervention, stabilization, treatment, and long-term recovery maintenance.”
- On Establishing Clear Protocols To Match Each Person To The Right Level Of Care: “Safe admissions are guided by policies and protocols that establish eligibility criteria, assessment procedures, and monitoring requirements throughout a client’s stay.
Houston Recovery Center admits individuals who meet the following criteria: they must be at least 18 years old, ambulatory and able to safely get in and out of floor-level cots, behaviorally stable enough to remain safely in an open dormitory environment, and meet established medical and vital sign parameters set by the medical director.
Throughout the stay, clients are monitored in accordance with established clinical and operational protocols to ensure their safety and identify any changes in medical or behavioral status that may require transfer to a higher level of care.”
- On Building Trust: “Stigma remains one of the most significant barriers to individuals seeking help for substance use disorders… Houston Recovery Center was founded on recovery-oriented principles of compassion, dignity, and respect.
Our frontline team includes Certified Peer Recovery Support Specialists who bring firsthand understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with recovery. This shared experience helps foster authentic connections with clients and creates an environment where individuals feel understood rather than judged.
Establishing trust is often the first step toward recovery and can increase a person’s willingness to consider treatment, recovery support services, and other life changes… Our doors remain open 24/7. Clients can return whenever they need assistance, whether the next day, the following month, or years later.”