Staffing: Introduction

Staff support is one of the most important considerations in operating a recovery home. An organization will need people to implement the essential tasks, guided by the recovery housing organization’s policies and procedures.

Prior to diving into information regarding staffing by levels of support, it is important to understand the legal obligations as an employer. It is highly recommended that an operator of recovery housing program consult with an attorney to ensure the program is following all state, federal and local laws and all appropriate taxes are paid.

Non-profit organizations should also ensure that they are in compliance with Ohio charitable law regarding volunteers, if there are plans to use volunteers in the organization.

An organization may structure the recovery housing program in any appropriate way they wish, using individuals who are employed by the organization as staff, using individuals who are independent contractors or even using volunteers.

For simplicity, in this training we will refer to these individuals as “staff.” When it is appropriate, we will specify if an individual is a paid staff person or a volunteer.