South Broward has one of the highest concentrations of recovery housing in the United States, and every house in it describes itself the same way. In a market that crowded the word “best” carries no information — so here is what to compare instead, and where our Hollywood house honestly lands on each point.
1. Is it certified, and can they prove it today?
FARR certifies recovery residences in Florida against the NARR national standards. It is voluntary, so asking sorts the field quickly: certification brings an inspection, an ethics code and an outside complaint route. The Foundry is FARR-accredited.
2. Who is awake at night
A named house manager, how long they have been sober, whether they sleep in the building, and who answers the phone at two in the morning. Then residents per manager. Supervision is the product; the furniture is not.
3. Testing, and the panel
Randomized, not scheduled. Fentanyl specifically included — cheap cups miss it. Refusals, walk-outs and diluted samples counted as positives. Ask what the panel covers; a house that cannot tell you is telling you something.
4. The relapse policy, in writing, before you move in
The most revealing question in the whole conversation. Discharging a man onto the street the day he relapses is both common in this market and dangerous, because tolerance drops during a period of abstinence and the overdose risk right afterwards is high. What good looks like: confirm, talk, notify whoever must be notified, and decide clinically — detox, back to treatment, increased outpatient care, or a conditional second chance. Dealing, violence and bringing substances in are the exceptions that end a tenancy immediately.
5. What the week is made of
Wake-up time, morning check-in, a work-or-programme requirement, curfew, chores, house meetings. If the answer comes back as philosophy rather than a timetable, you are looking at a landlord with rules taped to the fridge.
6. The money, spelled out
Rate, deposit, what is included — utilities, wifi, testing, transport, food — and the refund position if it ends early. Two houses quoting the same number can be fifty dollars a week apart once testing and rides are counted. And treat any offer that feels like recruitment as a warning: free rent attached to a specific treatment centre, a paid first month, pressure to change insurance. Patient brokering is illegal here and still happens.
7. Whether the geography fits your obligations
Hollywood is the right answer if your job, your programme, your court dates or your probation officer sit in Broward, and if being near water and open space helps you more than being near a city. If your life runs through Miami-Dade, a house on the other side of the county line will make your year easier — we own one, and we will still tell you if neither is the right fit.
Where the Beachhouse stands
The Foundry's Beachhouse at 701 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, FL 33019 sits on the Intracoastal, minutes from Hollywood Beach: men-only, FARR-accredited, randomized testing, a written relapse policy, a rooftop terrace, a pool and kayaks, and a structure that expects you working, studying or in a programme. We do turn people away — men who need detox or daily clinical care need treatment first, and we will point you at it.
Ask us the seven questions. Then ask the next house and compare. More background in what's actually available in Hollywood, what it costs here, and how our two houses compare.
