I live at Berryville Oxford House in Winchester, Virginia, with my 4 year old daughter and I am writing from my personal experience as a resident and member of a self-governing Oxford House.

Oxford House is not simply a place where people live while they are in recovery. The structure of Oxford House itself is part of the recovery process. Residents are responsible for running their own homes, making decisions democratically, holding one another accountable, managing finances, resolving conflicts, maintaining the house, and supporting one another in recovery.

We have elected officers and regular house meetings. We make decisions as a group. We learn how to communicate with one another, handle disagreements, manage responsibilities, and become accountable to our peers. Those experiences are valuable because they teach people how to function independently and responsibly outside of a treatment environment.

The peer-run nature of Oxford House is one of the things that makes it different from a staffed recovery facility or a traditional halfway house. Residents are not simply being supervised by professionals. We are learning to govern ourselves.

I understand the importance of reasonable safety standards and appropriate oversight. Residents deserve to live in safe, stable homes, and there should be appropriate protections when legitimate safety concerns arise. However, there is an important distinction between reasonable safety regulation and changing the fundamental structure of Oxford House by requiring staff to live in the homes.

Requiring staff to reside in Oxford Houses could fundamentally alter the self-governing model. It could shift responsibility away from residents and toward outside authority, changing the relationship between residents and the people responsible for overseeing the house.

For many of us, learning to manage our own home, finances, responsibilities, conflicts, and relationships is an important part of recovery. The ability to practice those skills in a safe peer environment is one of the reasons Oxford House has value.

I respectfully ask that Virginia carefully distinguish between self-governing, unstaffed Oxford Houses and staffed or commercially operated recovery facilities when creating or applying regulations.

Oxford House residents should be held to reasonable standards of safety, accountability, and lawful operation. But regulations should also recognize and preserve the resident-led structure that makes Oxford House what it is.

The people living in these houses are not simply recipients of services. We are residents, members, leaders, and peers. We take responsibility for our homes and for one another. That responsibility is not a flaw in the Oxford House model—it is a fundamental part of it.

I respectfully ask that any regulation concerning Oxford Houses protect both resident safety and the independence, self-governance, and peer-support structure that residents rely upon as part of their recovery.

Respectfully, Anna Smith Berryville Oxford House for women with Children Secretary. Member since January 2024, Chapter 13 Vice Chairperson since May 2026