Start a Profitable, Meaningful, and Certified Sober Living Home

Step-by-step training, strategy development, and community support to evaluate opportunities, build capacity, and map your clear path to launch.

VSL's Sober Living Launchpad Program™

The Launchpad Program is a guided pre-launch process for anyone considering opening a sober living home.

Instead of guessing (or learning through costly mistakes) you gain real clarity on whether a home will work in your market, how it can be funded, how beds will be filled, and what it will take to launch responsibly and sustainably.

What the Launchpad Prepares You For

  • 🛌🏻 Filling Beds

    Learn how to fill your home in 45 days by using AI to research referral sources, assess demand, set pricing, and connect with community partners.

  • ☑️ Certification

    Unlock the roadmap to certification, how standards apply in practice, and access a complete Certification Template Binder (included at no cost).

  • 💲 Funding

    Confidently get your idea funded: including grants, donations, loans, and resident payments—and unlock six key tools for effective fundraising.

  • ⚖️ Legal Protections

    Leverage fair housing protections, reduce legal exposure, respond to community or municipal pressure, and protect your business with confidence.

Who This Program Is Built For

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Why Vanderburgh Sober Living?

Vanderburgh Sober Living® brings real-world experience, not theory. For over a decade, our nonprofit has built and supported recovery homes focused on structure, transparency, and responsible growth.

Founded and led by experienced operators and industry professionals, the Launchpad Program gives you access to VSL’s proven frameworks, expert guidance, and trusted network—so you’re not building alone, and you’re not guessing your way forward.

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Sober Living Launchpad Program

Sober Living Launchpad Program

$1,199.00
$1,199.00
Sale Sold out

Enroll in VSL's Sober Living Launchpad Program and gain the clarity, structure, and support needed to confidently move forward with launching a certified, sustainable sober living home.

View full details

What You Get With the Launchpad

Part I: One-on-One Strategy Development

Launchpad begins with a private, one-on-one strategy session with a senior member of VSL’s development team. This is a working session focused on your specific situation, goals, and next steps.

What you get from this session

  • A clear launch plan
    A step-by-step roadmap that shows exactly what needs to happen to open your sober living home.
  • Guidance on the right model
    Help choosing the right sober living model, level, and structure for your goals and location.
  • Property clarity
    Support evaluating a property you already have—or guidance on what to look for if you are still searching.
  • Early risk awareness
    Clear insight into zoning, safety, certification, and fair housing issues before they become problems.
  • Confidence to move forward
    You leave knowing what to do next, what to avoid, and how to move forward without guessing.

Why this matters
Most mistakes in sober living happen before opening day. This session helps you avoid wrong turns, wasted time, and costly missteps by starting with a clear, informed plan.

Part II: VSL's Sober Living Academy

Launchpad includes full access to the Sober Living Academy—VSL’s core training system for recovery housing owners and operators.

Courses Included

  • INT-101 – Sober Living Introduction
    Learn how sober living works, the different levels and models, key terms, and what it really means to operate a recovery home responsibly and legally.
  • RHL-101 – Build Your Business Engine
    Design a sustainable business model, set up core systems, and understand how sober living actually makes money while staying mission-driven.
  • RHL-102 – How to Find Ideal Homes
    Learn how to identify, evaluate, and compare properties that are well-suited for recovery housing—before you buy or lease the wrong one.
  • RHL-103 – Optimizing Your Layout & Capacity
    Configure bedrooms, beds, and shared spaces for safety, compliance, and long-term sustainability without overcrowding or cutting corners.
  • RHL-104 – Policy & Procedure Blueprint
    Build clear house rules, policies, and a resident handbook that protect your home, support recovery, and meet certification expectations.
  • RHL-105 – Leading Your House Mentors
    Learn how to recruit, train, and support House Mentors so your home runs smoothly without you being involved in every daily issue.

Part III: Weekly Execution Coaching

Ongoing guidance to turn learning into action

Opening a sober living home requires more than information—it requires execution. Launchpad includes weekly coaching calls designed to help you apply what you are learning, stay accountable, and keep moving forward.

These sessions focus on real progress: reviewing decisions, answering questions, troubleshooting obstacles, and helping you prioritize the next right step. You are not left alone to interpret the material or figure things out on your own.

Coaching ensures momentum, reduces uncertainty, and helps you move from planning to opening with speed and confidence.

Part IV: Forms & Templates Binder

Done-for-you documents so you don’t start from scratch

Launchpad includes access to VSL’s complete library of forms, templates, and operating tools—built for real recovery homes and aligned with certification standards.

Build a Strong Foundation

  • Business Model Canvas
  • Business Plan Template
  • Budgeting & Forecasting Toolkit
  • Vision & Values Worksheet
  • Fundraising Package
    (donor requests, grant checklists, event planning)

Fill Your Beds

  • 7-Step Outreach Checklist
  • Digital Marketing Roadmap
  • Referral Source Tracker
  • Template Communications Package
    (emails, letters, phone scripts, presentation checklist)

Operate Effectively

  • Resident Application
  • Resident Agreement
  • Resident Handbook
  • Orientation Checklist
  • Sample House Rules
  • Policies & Procedures
    (complete & NARR-affiliate aligned)
  • Operating Binder
    (incident forms, logs, written warnings, medication log, drug screen log, sign-in/out sheets, and more)

Manage the Business

  • Sample Emergency Plan
  • Maintenance Log
  • Accounting Monthly Checklist
  • Recovery Housing KPI Audit

Part V: Exclusive Leadership Community

Ongoing support from people who understand recovery housing

When you join Launchpad, you are not building alone. You become part of VSL's Leadership Community—a private online space for people actively working to open and operate sober living homes.

What you get

  • Access to experienced operators
    Learn from people who have already opened homes, navigated challenges, and built sustainable operations.
  • A place to ask real questions
    Get feedback, clarification, and perspective when decisions come up—without guessing or going it alone.
  • Shared learning and problem-solving
    See how others are handling common issues like staffing, outreach, house rules, and day-to-day operations.
  • Ongoing connection to VSL
    Stay plugged into updates, best practices, and guidance as you move from launch to operations.

Recovery housing can feel isolating—especially early on. The Launchpad Community gives you perspective, reassurance, and practical insight so you can move forward with confidence and avoid common pitfalls.

Training You Need to Build Your Foundation — Included

Access all Sober Living Academy courses, a $2,000+ value, included with Launchpad.

Meet Your Development Team

The Launchpad Program is supported by a multidisciplinary team of experienced operators, clinicians, facilities experts, and strategists who have spent more than a decade building and supporting recovery housing across the United States.

You’re not just accessing content—you’re gaining insight from the people who design, certify, operate, and sustain sober living homes every day.

Program Creator & Executive Director

Dr. Hunter T. Foote

Dr. Foote is a multifaceted leader, author, and entrepreneur whose work spans real estate, social enterprise, law, and education. As the founder of Vanderburgh Sober Living he pioneered a national network of recovery homes using a social franchising model that blends business discipline with compassionate care.

From writing influential guides to leading mission-driven ventures, Dr. Foote’s career reflects a deep commitment to solving complex problems with creativity, integrity, and vision.

Learn more →

Director of Operations

Kate Saad

Kate is an experienced leader in the recovery field and serves as VSL’s Director of Operations. With a background in clinical addiction treatment in residential settings, she brings deep expertise across the Continuum of Care. She also coaches emerging recovery home leaders, ensuring every home provides safe, structured, and compassionate support.

Community Development Lead

Jim Lamorge

Jim Lamorge, VSL’s Community Development Lead, brings decades of experience in property management and renovation. He leads major upgrades, strengthens building systems, and ensures every home is safe, compliant, and efficient. As a coach, he teaches the operational essentials of recovery housing with practical, sustainable guidance.

What You’ll Achieve

  • ✔️ Market Demand Study

    Understand local recovery housing needs, saturation, pricing, and referral dynamics.

  • ✔️ Property & Location Analysis

    Learn how to assess zoning, neighborhood fit, property layout, and operational viability.

  • ✔️ Financial Feasibility Check

    Identify realistic startup costs, revenue expectations, and risk factors early.

  • ✔️ Strategic Launch Plan

    Create a clear, step-by-step path from concept to execution.

  • ✔️ Risk Management Framework

    Avoid common (and expensive) errors that derail new sober living homes.

Ready to Move Forward?

Unlock the Sober Living Launchpad Program and take the first responsible step toward building a certified, sustainable sober living home.

Enroll now and start building today!

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Vanderburgh Sober Living'S

Sober Living Launchpad Program

$1,199.00
$1,199.00
Sale Sold out
View full details