In the field.
Recovery-housing news, funding developments, and policy from across Arkansas and the country.
Getting certified in Arkansas: who qualifies, what it costs, and where to start
AARR certifies recovery residences across Arkansas to NARR Standard 3.0. Certification lasts two years, the process typically takes 60 to 120 days, and it starts with the online inquiry form, which is also AARR's prescreen. Here is the short version of what to expect and where to begin.
Arkansas overdose deaths hold near 370 a year after the 2024 drop
CDC's latest provisional count puts Arkansas at 367 overdose deaths in the twelve months ending April 2026, down from 375 a year earlier and 474 two years earlier. The steep 2024 decline has leveled off in Arkansas while the national count keeps falling, to about 66,900, down 12 percent. Sustaining the gains is now the work, and that is where recovery housing fits.
Attorney General's Stop Overdose Summit returns November 17 with a Counseling and Recovery track
The 15th annual summit is free and open to the public at the Fort Smith Convention Center, with five tracks including one for anyone in the counseling and recovery field. Registration is open through the Attorney General's office.
Opioid settlement funding remains open on a rolling basis
The Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership is accepting General Project applications with no deadline, alongside Overdose Response Team and Naloxone Community Hero applications. Several earlier programs (COPE, Life Care Specialist, Sentinel, PREP) are closed.
SAMHSA announces $281 million across 15 grant programs
Among them: Recovery Community Services ($1.5 million) and the Recovery Community Services Program Statewide Network ($1.5 million), both aimed at peer recovery support and recovery organizations. Check each notice for deadlines and eligibility.
Arkansas to receive $44.5 million from opioid settlement
The state's local share is overseen by the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership (ARORP), with payouts spanning roughly 15 years for treatment, prevention, and recovery.
Recovery Housing: Funding Sources & Financial Sustainability
A federal report drawing on NARR-certified residences on how states can expand recovery-housing access by addressing funding limits and aligning policy — directly relevant to AARR's funding-diversification work.
Updates on ARORP opioid settlement funds
ARORP has distributed more than $26.3M across all 75 counties — including to sober-living facilities and recovery community organizations. Arkansas overdose deaths fell 13.7% from 2022 to 2023.
Arkansas schools get $1.4M for opioid prevention and recovery
ARORP-funded Prevention Recovery Coordinators are being placed across four Arkansas school districts.
California can fix recovery housing by not treating it like treatment
A national policy piece framing NARR standards as the "gold standard" and describing the Model Recovery Residence Certification Act developed with the White House ONDCP.
ARORP partners are first to receive recovery housing accreditation in Arkansas
Safe Haven Ministries and Hope's Bridge became the first NARR-accredited recovery residences in Arkansas — backed by $492K and $319K in opioid-settlement awards to expand recovery housing capacity.