• Halfway houses must be licensed to ensure the safety of residents.house image by Earl Robbins from Fotolia.com
  
  In Arizona, the Department of Health Services oversees halfway houses, capping the number of residents, verifying that the facility has working fire alarms and ensuring that employees can perform CPR, among other things. Residents who choose to live in an unlicensed facility could be putting their own health and well-being at risk. Several laws govern licensed facilities in Arizona, ensuring the safety of residents.
  
  

Number of Residents

• According to Chapter 36 of the Arizona Revised Statutes, a halfway house must obtain a license that specifies the exact number of residents allowed at any given time. However, no halfway house will ever be given permission to have more than 10 residents. Overcrowding can be a serious safety issue, as evidence by a fire-related death that occurred in 2009 in a New Jersey halfway house.
  
  

Appointing a Manager

• Every halfway house in Arizona is required to have a manager. The manager is responsible for maintaining all of the records, permits, and safety reports. The Department of Health Services must be able to access this information at any time. According to the National Institute on Chemical Dependency, the manager may be assigned additional tasks, such as collecting rent, approving leave of absence requests, and verifying that residents are employed.
  
  

Staff Members

• Not all staff members are required have their CPR certifications or know how to counsel distressed residents. However, during operating hours, there must be at least one person on duty who can perform these tasks. Providing access to a trained professional who can help prevent relapse is a critical part of recovery for residents. And if a resident does relapse and overdoses, an employee knowing how to perform CPR could save that resident's life.