Center for Community Research Plays Key Role in Expansion of Oxford houses

The Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse (DASA) recently reinstated its group home loan revolving fund initiative, citing DePaul University’s Center for Community Research studies on the successful Oxford House model as supplying the critical data needed to support new funds for the program.

DASA began establishing group homes throughout the state in 1992 under its community-based funding program. The homes are modeled after the national Oxford House concept, which provides democratically run, self-supporting, drug-free living for individuals recovering from substance use disorders.

According to Fran Bassett, project manager for the group home loan revolving fund initiative, funding for the loan program was discontinued in 2003 in part because there was no sufficient outcome data at that time to support its continuation.

In 2006, Leonard A. Jason, director of DePaul’s Center for Community Research and a highly regarded community psychologist, along with his team of researchers that includes Joseph Ferrari, DePaul professor of psychology, and Brad D.Olson, assistant professor of research at Northwestern University, released the results of two studies showing that recovering substance users who live together in self-governed home settings attain an abstinence rate of 65 to 87 percent. Prior to this research, published evidence revealed that a majority of individuals in recovery relapsed after treatment.

“The DePaul study provided an evidence-based approach toward the re-establishment of the group home living initiative,” said Bassett. “When you can say this works and show why, you’ve got a leg up.”

Currently, there are 39 Oxford Houses in Illinois, three of which are located in Chicago. Five Oxford Houses have been established since funding was made available last fall, and according to Bassett, four more houses are scheduled to open this spring. DASA’s goal is to add 11 houses this year and a maximum of 20 new houses annually.

Funding for the initiative covers marketing and recruitment of applicants for the program and skills development workshops for residents. Two-year loans of $5,000 for rental fees, furnishings and other start-up costs are available for applicants to establish a house. Once the houses are fully occupied, residents, who must be employed, pay rent from their earnings and work to pay the loans back.

“We are very pleased that DASA and the State of Illinois have re-established this important program,” said Jason. “This is what community psychology is all about—working collaboratively with communities to solve pressing problems, such as preventing high rates of substance abuse. One cannot underestimate the importance of a safe and healthy home environment to a person seeking to develop long-term sobriety skills.”

Jason is considered a foremost expert in the area of chronic fatigue syndrome and has published extensively on a number of community psychology-related topics, including children and television, smoking and prevention, and substance abuse recovery. His forthcoming book, co-authored with Olson and Karen Foli, “Rescued Lives: The Oxford House Approach to Substance Abuse” (Haworth Press) will be released in May. Jason’s 19th book tells the success stories of Oxford House residents and explains just how the model has worked for them.

For more information about Oxford Houses in Illinois and the DASA Group Home Loan Revolving Fund Initiative, contact Fran Bassett at fran.bassett@illinois.gov or 312/814-6425. For information on Oxford House outside Illinois, consult the Web site at www.oxfordhouse.org.