If you're in a sober living home and this month's rent isn't there, you already know what's at stake. It isn't just a bed — it's the structure, the people, and the routine holding your recovery together. Losing that over a few hundred dollars is one of the cruelest things that happens in this field.
Sober Living Companion is a program of Empower Next Project, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit (EIN 39-3580172). A portion of everything we raise goes toward helping people in early recovery cover rent and essentials. We can't help everyone — but it costs nothing to ask.
You've probably been promised things before by people who couldn't deliver. We're not going to do that. Here's the truth about this page.
Someone in the middle of a hard month doesn't need another false hope — they need to know where they stand, so they can spend their remaining energy on things that might actually work. So: we may be able to help you, and we'd genuinely like to. We also may not be able to. Both are true at once, and you deserve to hear them together.
There's no portal to log into and no form to submit. Call or email, and you'll be talking to someone who does this work.
We'll ask about your situation and what you actually need. That's genuinely it — we're not going to script it into steps here, because it isn't a script. Different people call for different reasons, and the conversation goes where it needs to go.
You don't need paperwork, or a plan, or to have it together. It's fine to call and say "I'm in a sober living, rent is due, I don't have it, I don't know what to do." That's enough of an opening, and nobody will lecture you about how you got here — early recovery and financial stability rarely arrive at the same time, which is the entire reason this program exists.
If email is easier than talking, email is fine. Tell us what's going on in whatever words you have.
This is the most useful part of this page — we'd rather you read it than skip it. Because we can't fund everyone, here are real, free resources. None of them are us, and we're not affiliated with any of them. Work more than one at the same time.
Free, confidential, and staffed 24/7, year-round, by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration — a U.S. government agency. They refer people to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community organizations, including state-funded treatment and recovery housing for people with no insurance and no money. If you only make one call besides ours, make this one. More at samhsa.gov.
SAMHSA's official treatment locator. Search by location and filter for programs that take Medicaid, offer sliding-scale payment, or serve people who can't pay. It lists recovery housing and support services in many areas, it's free, and no account is required: findtreatment.gov.
A free local referral line connecting you to community services in your area, including rent assistance, utility assistance, and emergency financial help. What's available varies by county, and the person on the line will know what exists near you far better than any website. This is the standard first call for rent help of any kind — worth making even if your rent is a sober living bed rather than a lease.
Some state Medicaid programs cover certain recovery housing or the support services attached to it. This varies a great deal by state — what's covered where you live may look nothing like one state over, so check your own state's program rather than assuming. The SAMHSA National Helpline can help you work out what applies where you are.
This one gets skipped constantly, and it shouldn't. Talk to the person who runs your house before you fall behind, not after. Some homes hold a scholarship or sponsored bed. Some will take a partial payment, split the month, or let you catch up over time. Some know local resources you don't. An operator who finds out on the 5th that you're short has options; one who finds out on the 25th usually doesn't. The conversation is uncomfortable for ninety seconds. Losing the bed lasts a lot longer.
One honest warning: be careful with anyone who asks you to pay a fee to access rent assistance, or who guarantees you funds up front. Legitimate help — including the resources above — does not charge you for the privilege of asking.
You know the ones. The resident who is doing everything right — going to meetings, showing up, staying clean — and is about to be exited over money. You've probably carried a few yourself out of your own pocket, because the alternative was watching someone go back out over a few hundred dollars.
Call us before that exit happens: (213) 321-6518, or info@empowernextproject.org.
Same honesty as everywhere else on this page: we can't promise funds, and there will be times we can't do anything. But calling early gives us the best chance of being useful, and it costs nothing to try. This isn't a sales call — we're not going to pitch you anything. It's a conversation about a person in your house.
If you are thinking about harming yourself, or you're in immediate danger, please don't wait on money or on us.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988. Free, confidential, 24/7.
SAMHSA National Helpline — 1-800-662-4357. Free, confidential, 24/7, for substance use and mental health.
Both are answered by people trained for exactly this. You are allowed to call before things get worse.
Sometimes. Empower Next Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, and a portion of what we raise goes toward helping people in early recovery cover rent and essentials. Those funds are limited and come from donations, so we can't help everyone who asks. The only way to find out is to talk to us: call (213) 321-6518 or email info@empowernextproject.org.
No. There is no guarantee of funds, no promised amount, and no entitlement to assistance. We are a small non-profit working from a limited pool of donated money, and more people need help than we can fund. We would rather say that plainly than let you count on something that may not come. It still costs nothing to ask, and if we can't help we'll try to point you somewhere that can.
No. There's no online form, no application packet, and no eligibility chart to measure yourself against. We ask you to call (213) 321-6518 or email info@empowernextproject.org so you can talk to an actual person about what's going on and what you need.
We don't publish an award amount, because there isn't a fixed one. What we're able to do depends on what has been donated and what else is being asked of those funds at the time. We won't quote you a number on a web page that we might not be able to honor.
Keep going down the list. Call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 — it's free, confidential, and staffed 24/7, and they make referrals to state-funded treatment and recovery housing. Dial 2-1-1 for local rent and utility assistance. Search findtreatment.gov. Check whether your state's Medicaid program covers recovery housing support services. And ask your sober living operator directly about a scholarship bed or a payment plan.
Yes, please do — before the exit, not after. Call (213) 321-6518 or email info@empowernextproject.org. The same honesty applies: we can't promise funds and we may not be able to help. But an operator who calls early gives us the best chance of doing something useful, and it's a free call either way.
Not because we can promise you anything — we can't. But because the worst outcome on this page is someone losing their housing without ever having asked. That happens, and it doesn't have to.