How Many Sober Living Houses Are in Dayton?
Ohio keeps a public list of every recovery housing residence that is allowed to operate, and you can search it by county. On October 19, 2026, the Montgomery County results held 189 residences. A listing shows the residence and any business name it uses, where it is and how to reach it, its beds, its level and the people it takes, with columns for handicap access and complaints.
- Where: 172 gave Dayton as their city. Miamisburg had 7, Trotwood 5, Kettering and West Carrollton 2 each, and Riverside 1.
- Size: the bed counts added up to 1,318. Half the houses had 5 beds or fewer, and the largest listed 91.
- Who they serve: 116 listed men only and 58 listed women only. 6 listed every group, families with children included, 4 listed men and women, 3 listed women with children, and 2 listed men with children.
- Level: 130 were listed as Managed, 33 as Peer-Run and 26 as Supervised.
- Access: 30 were marked handicap accessible.
- Complaints: none showed a complaint. Section 5119.394 of the Ohio Revised Code says a complaint goes on the registry once it “has been investigated and substantiated”.
Greene County, east of Dayton, had 31 more on the same day. For Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo and Akron, see our guide to sober living in Ohio.
Houses open, close and lose their standing, so these counts are a snapshot. Run the search yourself on the day you need a bed.
How to Search the Registry for Dayton
The state’s search page is Search for Recovery Housing Residences. It covers residences “that are accredited as described in Ohio Revised Code (R.C.) 5119.392 or, if newer (in operation for not more than 18 months), are actively engaged in efforts to obtain such accreditation.”
- Open the search page.
- Under County, choose Montgomery. Add Greene, Miami or Warren if you can live a little farther out, or search by city or zip code instead.
- Under Target Population, pick the group you need. The menu offers men, women, men or women with children, and families with children.
- Tick Handicap Accessible if you need it.
- Press Search, then call the houses that fit.
Use the registry even when a house came to you some other way, from a friend, a flyer or a social media post. Section 5119.395 bars anyone from advertising a residence as a “recovery housing residence, sober living home, or any other alcohol and drug free housing” unless it “is on the registry established and maintained under section 5119.394 of the Revised Code”, or is a halfway house that the state’s corrections department regulates. A house that calls itself sober living and is not on the list is a reason to keep looking.
Sober Living Houses for Women in Dayton
On October 19, 58 of the 189 Montgomery County houses listed women only. Another 3 listed women with children, and 6 listed every group, families included. Search with Women under Target Population, then try Women with Children if you need a place for a child too.
Ask each house the questions that matter to you before you visit: whether a child can stay and up to what age, what the rules are on visitors, and how close the house is to a bus line, a job and your treatment.
Does a Sober Living House in Ohio Have to Be Certified?
Yes. Ohio law names a sober living house a recovery housing residence. Section 5119.01 defines it as “a residence for individuals recovering from alcohol use disorder or drug addiction that provides an alcohol-free and drug-free living environment, peer support, assistance with obtaining alcohol and drug addiction services, and other recovery assistance for alcohol use disorder and drug addiction.”
Since the start of 2025 it needs a credential to open its doors. Section 5119.392 says: “Beginning January 1, 2025, no person or government entity shall operate a recovery housing residence unless either of the following applies”. It is enough for the state to certify a house, or for an organization the state recognizes to accredit it. A newer house may also run while it “has been operating for not more than eighteen months and is actively engaged in efforts to obtain certification or accreditation, as applicable.”
Section 5119.39 names two accrediting bodies outright: “The Ohio affiliate of the national alliance for recovery residences” and “Oxford house, inc.” The Ohio affiliate is Ohio Recovery Housing, which calls itself “a state affiliate of the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR).”
Sober Living, Halfway House or Residential Treatment?
People searching in Dayton often use all three names. They mean different things in Ohio.
- A halfway house belongs to the corrections system. Section 2967.14 says the state “may require or allow a parolee, a releasee, or a prisoner otherwise released from a state correctional institution to reside in a halfway house or other suitable community residential center”.
- A sober living house is a shared home for people working on recovery from alcohol or drugs, and it should appear on the recovery housing registry.
- Residential treatment provides clinical care where you sleep. Homes that add clinical care fall here, as Ohio Recovery Housing explains: “In Ohio, these settings are considered to be residential treatment facilities, and must be licensed by the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health.”
If what you need is a sober place to live while you work on recovery, the registry is the right list.
What the Levels on the Registry Mean
Each registry row shows a level. The registry’s three labels line up with the first three levels of a four-level national scheme set by the National Alliance for Recovery Residences. Its standards page describes the first three this way:
- Level I, peer-run. These “are democratically run alcohol and illicit substance-free recovery homes.”
- Level II, monitored. These “are frequently called sober homes or sober living.” They “utilize house rules and peer accountability to maintain safe and healthy living environments.”
- Level III, supervised. This level “delivers weekly, structured programming including peer-based and other recovery support services”.
The registry’s word for the second level is Managed, and most Dayton houses carry it. The fourth level adds clinical treatment, which in Ohio makes a home a licensed residential treatment facility rather than recovery housing.
What Sober Living Costs in Dayton, and Who Pays
No official page publishes what Dayton houses charge, and each house sets its own fee, so ask for it in writing. On who pays, the official sources settle these points:
- The house is paid by its residents. Oxford House puts its version this way: “Each member pays EES (Equal Expense Share) which includes the total amount of rent due for the month, utilities and basic staples for the house.” On October 19, 8 of the Montgomery County listings carried the Oxford House name, and its vacancy finder can be set to Ohio and a county.
- Medicaid covers treatment, not the bed. Rule 5160-27-02 of the Ohio Administrative Code sets out what Ohio Medicaid’s behavioral health services cover. They “do not include any of the following”, it says, and “Room and board.” is on that list. The outpatient program you attend from the house is a separate matter.
- Local money supports some houses. The Montgomery County ADAMHS Board puts recovery housing on its list of housing resources and writes: “Our Board has some of the most robust funding opportunities thanks to the Human Services Levy and successful grant writing by our staff.”
Before you agree to move in, ask:
- The weekly or monthly fee, and whether utilities and food are in it.
- How much the deposit is and the terms for getting it back.
- Whether any of your money comes back if you move out early or the house asks you to leave.
- Whether the house can point you to help with the fee.
Work and Treatment While You Live There
The Montgomery County ADAMHS Board describes the recovery housing it supports as “Recovery housing for people coming out of addiction or dependency treatment who would like additional support.” It also says: “While in recovery housing, case managers meet routinely with clients to help support viable employment through internships, continuing education, and apprenticeships.”
Treatment itself happens outside the house. Ohio Recovery Housing’s conditions for accredited homes say a home must “Not offer clinical treatment services in the same building as the recovery home” and must “Allow residents to have free choice of service providers”. The registry also limits referrals. Section 5119.396 says addiction and mental health providers “shall not refer clients to a recovery housing residence unless the residence is on the registry”.
Each house writes its own policy on prescribed medication. Raise any prescription you take with the house before you sign anything.
Your Rights as a Resident
Ohio Recovery Housing requires a Level I, II or III home it accredits to “Maintain a landlord/tenant relationship with residents” and “Maintain a resident-driven length of stay”.
Ohio added a rule on resident rights, rule 5122-31-19, effective August 10, 2026. Two of the rights it lists:
- “The right to receive behavioral health services and/or medical services from a provider of one’s own choosing.”
- “The right not to be locked out of the residence at any time.”
Residents and neighbors have somewhere to take a problem. Section 5119.393 directs the state to “establish a procedure to receive and investigate complaints from residents, staff, and the public regarding recovery housing residences.” For its part, Ohio Recovery Housing runs a form on its complaints page: “Ohio Recovery Housing Inc. triages all complaints received through the website and refers them to the appropriate accrediting organization or the Department of Behavioral Health.”
Where Leora Behavioral Health Fits
Leora Behavioral Health does not run sober living houses. Its Dayton facility is an outpatient program at 948 Patterson Rd, on the south side of Patterson Road between Berkshire Road and Wilmington Avenue, with an RTA bus stop on Patterson Road outside. Clients sleep at home, or at a sober living house, and come in for their program hours.
- Intensive outpatient in Dayton: group therapy for three hours on three to five days a week, with its own substance use track.
- Outpatient rehab in Dayton: one or two days a week, usually as a step down.
- Partial hospitalization in Dayton: weekdays from 9:00 am to 4:15 pm.
- Virtual IOP: by video, including an evening program for substance use.
Every Ohio Medicaid plan is accepted (how Medicaid works at Leora), and so is all major commercial insurance. Call admissions and they can check your coverage during the call. Insurance applies to the program, while the house’s fee stays between you and the house.
Looking in Columbus instead? The guide to sober living in Columbus covers the Franklin County list.
If Someone Is in Danger Right Now
Call 911 if anyone is in immediate danger.
In a mental health or substance use crisis you can call or text 988 at any hour. The 988 Lifeline puts it this way: “The 988 Lifeline is available 24/7/365.”
