Pennsylvania is directing $1.2 million toward recovery housing and support services specifically for young adults aged 18-24 battling opioid and stimulant use disorders, addressing what state officials recognize as a critical gap in addiction treatment infrastructure. The Shapiro Administration's Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs announced the grants on January 27, distributing funds across nine county drug and alcohol offices serving 14 counties throughout the Commonwealth. The initiative targets a population facing unique challenges in sustaining recovery: young adults with fewer established support networks, unstable housing situations, and limited connections to long-term recovery resources. "Recovery housing is a vital recovery support service that promotes the four major dimensions of a life in recovery: health, home, purpose, and community," said DDAP Secretary Dr. Latika Davis-Jones. "We know that young adults face unique barriers to sustained recovery, including fewer connections to recovery supports and unstable housing. These grants amplify the Shapiro Administration's commitment to breaking down those barriers."
Recovery houses function as safe, family-like living environments that remain substance-free and structured to support individuals working through addiction recovery. Unlike treatment facilities, these homes center on peer support and connection to services promoting long-term recovery rather than clinical intervention. Pennsylvania currently licenses approximately 430 recovery houses across the state, ensuring a network of safe environments for people with substance use disorder.
The licensure requirement applies to any recovery house receiving referrals from state agencies, state-funded facilities, or federal or state funding. This regulatory framework helps ensure quality and safety standards while maintaining accountability for public dollars invested in recovery infrastructure.
The new grants supplement existing resources rather than replacing current services. County authorities can use the funding to expand capacity within already-licensed recovery houses or increase access to recovery support services through partnerships with local providers and grassroots organizations.
Recovery support services extend beyond providing a place to sleep.
These non-clinical services help individuals gain skills and resources needed to initiate, maintain, and sustain long-term recovery. The person-centered, self-directed approach allows individuals in recovery to choose their providers while accessing care coordination, recovery coaching, spiritual counseling, group support, job training, and transportation assistance. "These funds will allow our SCA to address critical areas that fall under social determinants of health including transportation, childcare, vocational training, and employment," said Barbara Durkin, Director of Lackawanna/Susquehanna Office of Drug and Alcohol Programs.
This comprehensive approach recognizes that recovery from substance use disorder involves more than abstinence. Sustainable recovery requires stable housing, meaningful employment, reliable transportation, and community connections—all factors that recovery support services help address.
The nine grants will run through September 30, 2026, reaching young adults in counties including Berks, Blair, Columbia, Montour, Snyder, Union, Delaware, Erie, Lackawanna, Susquehanna, Somerset, Westmoreland, York, and Adams. County drug and alcohol offices, known as Single County Authorities (SCAs), will administer the programs at the local level. "The Erie County Office of Drug and Alcohol Abuse appreciates this investment and strongly supports DDAP's continued focus on recovery housing and recovery support services," said Erie County Office of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Executive Director Scott Coughenour.
"These funds will allow Erie County to build on existing licensed recovery housing infrastructure, strengthen community partnerships, and ensure recovery services remain viable, accessible, and responsive to our local needs." The county-based approach allows programs to adapt to local needs while maintaining statewide quality standards. SCAs provide case management, housing assistance, prevention programs, naloxone training and distribution, peer-led recovery services, and coordination of treatment services for uninsured and underinsured individuals throughout Pennsylvania.
The grants draw from federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's State Opioid Response program, which aims to reduce unmet treatment needs and opioid-related overdose deaths through state allocations. Pennsylvania has leveraged these federal dollars to build comprehensive overdose prevention and treatment infrastructure. DDAP will monitor outcomes and ensure accountability through established data collection systems while providing ongoing technical assistance to county authorities throughout the grant period. Beyond September 2026, the department plans to continue prioritizing recovery housing through ongoing collaboration with counties, providers, and community partners.
The administration has also established exceptions allowing telehealth-only substance use disorder services, licensed mobile opioid treatment programs to expand medication-assisted treatment access, and launched workforce development pilot programs with Carlow and Waynesburg universities to accelerate training of new substance use treatment professionals.
Young adults face distinct challenges in recovery that differ from older populations. Many lack established employment histories, stable housing arrangements, or developed support networks. Traditional recovery programs often fail to address the specific developmental and social needs of 18-to-24-year-olds, who may still be navigating identity formation, educational pursuits, and early career development while managing addiction.
By prioritizing this age group with dedicated funding, Pennsylvania acknowledges that effective addiction treatment requires age-appropriate interventions. Young adults in recovery need environments that support both their immediate recovery goals and their longer-term developmental needs—education, career training, peer connections, and independent living skills.
The $1.2 million investment in recovery housing and support services represents Pennsylvania's recognition that sustainable recovery requires more than clinical treatment. It requires community, stability, purpose, and hope—elements that recovery housing provides for young adults fighting to reclaim their futures from substance use disorder.
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