“I can’t just talk it. I have to live it”: the roles, needs, and recruitment of recovery home house managers

These findings underscore the central role of house managers in shaping recovery home culture and highlight the complexity of a position that combines peer support, leadership, and operational responsibility within social model recovery settings. The results emphasize key balancing factors related to recruitment pathways, training, role sustainability, and length of employment. By documenting how house managers and operators conceptualize the role as both critical, yet often transitional, this study advances understanding of workforce dynamics in Level II and Level III recovery homes and identifies priorities for implementation-focused research on training, support structures, and staffing models that sustain recovery-oriented environments over time.