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      🎯 VSL's Four Target Audiences

      Explore VSL's four target audiences:referral sources, operators, talent, and supporters.

       

      Article Table of Contents

      1. 🎯 Target Audiences Overview
      2. 🤝 Referral Sources
      3. 👔 Operator Candidates
      4. 💲 Supporters
      5. 🧠 Talent

       

       

      🎯 Target Audiences Overview

      Explore VSL's target audiences: referral sources, operators, talent, and supporters

      This article is a work in progress! Some of the articles are fairly well established, and some are works-in-progress. If you see something that doesn't make sense, talk to someone about it! If there's a better way to do something, let's document it by updating these articles whenever needed.

       

       

       

      🤝 Referral Sources

      Referral sources are individuals who work at various agencies and companies who refer guests to recovery housing. The Marketing Team supports direct community outreach efforts made by operators and members of the Support Team.

      A good referral source is worth $50,000 per year

      Referral sources are the lifeblood of VSL. They keep the beds filled and they are our eyes and ears in the community. Consider these facts:

      • 6-9 months is the average length of stay for a guest
      • $180 per week is the average rent rate across all VSL homes
      • $4,000 is the customer lifetime value of an average guest (after variable costs)

      If one referral source refers one guest per month, assuming they are approved and the guest moves in, they bring VSL $48,000 per year! This is, of course, assuming that the homes to which they are referring guests have vacancies. This calculation applies most particularly to new homes or areas that struggle with occupancy.

      Who are our referral sources?

      Our referral sources are organizations and individuals who connect applicants with our sober living homes. These sources are categorized into three tiers based on their referral frequency, quality, and impact on our operations. Understanding and prioritizing these relationships helps ensure a steady flow of qualified residents and strengthens our community partnerships.

      Referral sources often include:

      • Case Workers & Social Workers: They assist individuals in navigating recovery resources and securing stable housing after treatment or incarceration.
      • Discharge Planners & Aftercare Coordinators: Staff members in treatment programs, hospitals, or correctional facilities who focus on transition planning for clients leaving their care.
      • Counselors & Recovery Coaches: Professionals who provide direct support to individuals in early recovery and may refer them to sober living as a step-down option.

      Since these referral sources are usually lower-level staff working directly with clients, building relationships with them—rather than upper management—is key to securing consistent referrals.

      Read more: 🤝 Types of Referral Sources

      What do referral sources care about?

      Referral sources prioritize finding safe, reliable, and supportive housing for their clients. They want to ensure that the sober living environment they recommend aligns with their clients' recovery goals and overall well-being. The key factors they consider include:

      • Certification & Reputation: Referral sources prefer homes with a solid reputation and certifications (such as NARR-affiliate certification), and a proven track record of successful guest outcomes. They don't want to be the one who referred someone to a bad home.
      • Structure: They want assurance that the home provides a secure and structured environment where guests can focus on their recovery without negative influences.

      • Ease of Placement & Communication: A simple and efficient intake process, clear eligibility criteria, and prompt response times make it easier for them to refer clients without unnecessary delays. They appreciate responsive staff who provide updates, answer questions, and collaborate effectively to support clients’ transitions. They are too busy to deal with nonsense, and really appreciate it when we pick up the phone on the second ring.

      • Affordability & Funding Options: Cost is a significant concern, and they value homes that accept grants, scholarships, or other financial assistance to reduce financial barriers for their clients. This goes back to ease of placement, as well.

      Understanding and addressing these priorities helps build strong, long-lasting relationships with referral sources and increases the likelihood of consistent referrals.

      Source of data: July, 2023 customer discovery

      How does the Support Team and Chartered Operators engage referral sources?

      This is an excerpt from 🏆 VSL's 7-Step Outreach Checklist. If a home is operated by an independent Chartered Operator, they will perform these duties. If the home is managed by VSL staff, the assigned Support Manager will perform these duties.

      1. Develop Your Referral Source List: Identify and organize potential referral sources using VSL’s Referral Source Heatmap, personalized contact lists, and community connections.
        1. The Marketing Team helps with: 🗂️ Referral Database Management
      2. Connect with Referral Sources: Reach out through calls, emails, and in-person visits to establish initial contact and introduce our sober living homes.
      3. Engage Your Referral Sources: Build meaningful relationships by supporting their goals, offering presentations, conducting tours, and providing printed materials.
        1. The Marketing Team provides printed marketing materials, etc.
      4. Attend Recovery Events: Participate in community events to expand your network, meet potential referral sources, and increase visibility.
      5. Brand Management & Digital Marketing: Enhance online presence by gathering reviews, sharing content, and leveraging social media platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook.
        1. This is one significant way that the Marketing Team supports outreach efforts
      6. Run Outreach Campaigns: Implement targeted marketing efforts such as open houses, email campaigns, and paid advertising to attract more referrals.
      7. Sharpen the Saw: Continuously improve outreach efforts by setting goals, seeking training, and utilizing VSL resources to stay informed and effective.

      What do we want referral sources to do?

      We want referral sources to think of VSL first when they are referring people to sober living. We want them to:

      • Direct their clients to our website or to call us to apply to live in a VSL home.
      • Talk positively about VSL in the recovery community.
      • Be aware that we provide opportunities for individuals to operate their own sober houses
      • Be familiar with www.soberhousedirectory.com (a directory that we have built that serves to inform referral sources of all recovery housing, not just VSL homes - but we certainly have enough branding on the website to provide value to VSL).

      How do we measure and track referral source data?

      Referral sources are either companies or contacts in HubSpot. Inside of this CRM system, we track engagement with referral sources (logged calls/emails made by staff-not operators though) and we track volume of applications received indicating the contact as the source of the referral.

      We can access lists of dormant referral sources to engage further, as this tends to be an effective way of focusing our time. There are many other tools in use for this function as well.

      Related article: 🗂️ Referral Database Management

       

       

      👔 Operator Candidates: General

      Operator candidates are individuals or small teams who will potentially join VSL as Chartered Operators, members of our membership organization. The Marketing Team supports sales efforts on the part of the Community Team.

      Operators are the foundation of VSL

      Chartered Operators are the second piece of the puzzle, along with referral sources. Operators run homes, which means that we don't have to have staff run them. Operators build the relationships with referral sources so we don't have to worry about maintaining them. Operators are the way our organization grows and develops and the way our mission is realized in the marketplace.

      A strong operator provides immense benefits:

      • As they grow, we will have the opportunity to acquire more real estate to lease to them or contract with them to operate
      • Strong operators refer other operators and grow our reputation and reach
      • Experienced operators provide invaluable insights to new operators as well as to our organization itself

      What type of people operate recovery housing?

      Recovery housing operators come from diverse personal and professional backgrounds, but they all share a passion for supporting individuals in recovery and a desire to make a meaningful impact in their communities.

      Common characteristics of recovery housing operators:

      • A Passion for Helping Others: Many have personal or professional connections to addiction recovery and are motivated by a strong desire to give back.
      • Business Acumen: Whether from previous entrepreneurial ventures or corporate careers, operators often have experience in managing people, finances, and operations.
      • A Desire for Purposeful Work: Many operators seek fulfillment beyond traditional careers and are drawn to the opportunity to blend profit with purpose.
      • Flexibility & Resilience: Operating sober living homes requires adaptability, problem-solving skills, and the ability to handle challenges with patience and determination.

      Read our blog post: Meet the Minds Behind Successful Sober Living Homes

      Read our Knowledge Base article: 👨‍💼 Chartered Operators: Personas & Identities

      Aspiring v. Established Operators

      Recovery housing operators can generally be categorized into two groups: Aspiring Operators and Established Operators. Each group has unique needs, motivations, and challenges, and VSL tailors its support to help them succeed at every stage of their journey.

      • Aspiring Operators are individuals who are new to the field of recovery housing and have not yet opened their first home. They often need guidance on navigating the startup process, understanding sober living operations, and developing a sustainable business model.

        • How We Work With Them: VSL provides extensive support, including training, mentorship, operational resources, and step-by-step guidance to help them launch their first home successfully.

      • Established Operators have already opened one or more sober living homes and are looking to refine, expand, or improve their operations. They may need assistance with scaling their business, marketing their homes, or streamlining operations to enhance efficiency.

        • How We Work With Them: VSL offers advanced support, including branding assistance, marketing strategies, operational tools, and access to a community of experienced operators to help them scale and optimize their business.

      👤 Aspiring Operator Candidates (type 1 of 2)

      Aspiring operators are individuals who are new to the recovery housing industry and are looking to open their first sober living home. They come from diverse backgrounds and bring unique motivations, skills, and concerns to the table. These individuals often seek guidance and support to navigate the complexities of launching and managing a successful sober living home.

      What Aspiring Operators are focused on:

      • Understanding the Business: They want to learn the ins and outs of running a sober living home, from licensing and compliance to daily operations.
      • Financial Security & Profitability: They are concerned about startup costs, ongoing expenses, and ensuring their home becomes financially sustainable.
      • Community Impact: Many are driven by a desire to help people in recovery and make a meaningful difference in their communities.
      • Operational Guidance: They seek clear, step-by-step processes for setting up and managing their home efficiently.
      • Risk Management: Concerns about legal liabilities, safety issues, and ensuring their home meets industry standards are top of mind.
      • Work-Life Balance: They want to understand how much time and effort is required to run a home effectively while balancing other responsibilities.

      VSL's value proposition to Aspiring Operators: How to Open a Recovery Home

      🏠 Established Operator Candidates (type 2 of 2)

      Established operators have already opened one or more sober living homes and are looking for ways to grow, optimize, and enhance their operations. They have firsthand experience in the field and are often seeking support in expanding their reach, improving processes, or overcoming operational challenges.

      What Established Operators are focused on:

      This is a hypothesis - we have not done significant customer discovery on this segment!

      • Scalability & Growth: They are interested in expanding their operations, whether by opening new homes or increasing occupancy in existing homes.
      • Branding & Differentiation: They want to stand out in a competitive market and build a reputable, trusted brand.
      • Operational Efficiency: Streamlining processes, improving house management, and reducing administrative burdens are key priorities.
      • Occupancy & Referrals: They seek support in maintaining high occupancy rates and strengthening referral relationships.
      • Staffing & Leadership Development: Many want to develop their team and delegate responsibilities to reduce personal workload.
      • Financial Optimization: They look for ways to increase profitability while maintaining quality and compliance.
      • Maintaining Passion & Avoiding Burnout: Some operators struggle with the emotional demands of the work and seek support to stay motivated and balanced. Deadpool YouTube

      VSL's value proposition: Affiliate Your Recovery Home with VSL

      What do we want Operator Candidates to do?

      We want Operator Candidates to become Chartered Operators by signing a Charter Agreement. This is like a marriage between VSL and the Operator. We need to make sure they will be a good fit in our community, and they want to make sure that working with us is the right decision for them. (read more about Charter Membership)

      For Aspiring Operators, we typically want to see them:

      • Become a Contract Operator, running one or multiple homes on a short-term (1 to 6 month) contract basis, often becoming an independent operator within the first year. This is a relatively lightweight arrangement where they are paid between $800 and $1,400 per month and spend 10 to 20 hours per week operating a sober living home.
      • Become an Independent Operator, signing a lease on a recovery home that they will run independently. However, this is not typical for a new operator. Oftentimes, we use the contract to ease into operations.

      Read more: 🐾 Operator Candidates: Customer Journey Map

      For Established Operators, the journey tends to be a bit different. We haven't dealt with many established operators joining us, but they often do because they are dealing with partnership issues or we are solving some other sort of structural problem for them. We would like to start attracting successful established operators to join us, we just haven't gotten around to it yet. Established Operators could do any of the following:

      • Sign a Charter Agreement and just join the community, but we make money from new things happening, such as other activities discussed below:
      • Opening a new home with VSL by engaging us to by a property and lease it to them on a long-term basis, whereby we make money on the lease.
      • Recapitalizing their existing home by selling it to a VSL affiliate who then leases it back to them, whereby we make money on the lease.
      • Selling a home that VSL will buy and lease to another new operator, managing somewhat of a succession plan for them--this usually doesn't happen up front obviously, but it tends to happen down the road.

      How do we search for Operator Candidates

      We have a comprehensive process for conducting operator searches. We've struggled with it lately, this is room for improvement. And it is quite low hanging fruit.

      Read more: 🔎 Operator Search

       

       

      💲 Supporters

      This is completely new territory. As a new nonprofit, we need to figure out how to really connect with donors, grant makers, and other individuals that can support our foundation. We have somebody on board working on this. Further discussion to be had.

       

       

       

      🧠 Talent

      Talent is a key target audience for VSL, encompassing the individuals who help drive our mission forward by filling critical roles within our organization. Whether they are House Mentors, support staff, or leadership team members, attracting and retaining the right talent is critical.

      What kinds of people fit in at VSL?

      At VSL, we are not a “paved road” organization—our work is filled with challenges, complexities, and ever-evolving opportunities. We are looking for highly talented, mission-driven individuals who are passionate about recovery housing and committed to making a real impact. VSL people tend to be:

      • Mission-Focused & Purpose-Driven – You believe in the work we do and are motivated by the opportunity to help individuals in recovery find stable housing and support. This is not just a job; it’s a calling.
      • Smart & Resourceful – We face constant challenges, and we need people who can think critically, solve problems creatively, and bring innovative solutions to the table. We are looking for sharp thinkers who can adapt to changing circumstances.
      • Growth-Oriented & Open-Minded – Our organization operates much like a startup. We thrive on continuous improvement, adaptation, and learning from experience. If you enjoy a dynamic environment and are willing to grow alongside the organization, you’ll fit right in.
      • Resilient & Determined – The work we do isn’t easy. It requires persistence, flexibility, and the ability to navigate obstacles with a positive, solution-focused mindset.
      • Collaborative & Entrepreneurial – We are not looking for crank turners who need rigid processes to thrive. Instead, we seek individuals who can take ownership, work independently, and collaborate effectively within our team.

      Read more: 🧭 VSL Culture Guide

      What's frustrating about working at VSL?

      We face significant legal, regulatory, and community challenges that require resilience, strategic thinking, and a commitment to advocacy. Some of the key challenges we encounter include:

      • Legal Battles with Municipalities – Many cities and towns attempt to block sober living homes from operating in their neighborhoods due to public backlash and stigma. As a result, we often find ourselves in legal disputes, fighting for the rights of individuals in recovery to access fair housing under the law.

        • We are frequently sued by municipalities trying to enforce discriminatory zoning laws or unfair housing regulations.
        • We frequently initiate legal action against cities for violating the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

      • Regulatory Scrutiny & Code Enforcement – Fire departments, building departments, and health agencies often challenge our operations, alleging that our homes pose safety or health risks. These claims are sometimes motivated by bias, and other times by confusion or differing interpretations of local regulations.

        • Municipalities frequently argue that recovery homes should be classified as rooming or lodging houses, requiring strict licensing and inspections.
        • We advocate for our homes to be recognized as single-family residences, in line with legal protections under fair housing laws.
        • Navigating ambiguous fire, health, and safety codes while maintaining compliance without compromising our mission is an ongoing challenge.
      • Sustaining Financial Viability – Unlike traditional businesses, our work often faces financial uncertainties due to fluctuating occupancy rates, changing referral patterns, and ongoing legal and operational expenses.

      What this means in reality: Sheriffs frequently show up in the office serving paperwork and people with badges and initials after their name yell at us for simply existing. We're often running low on cash to finish projects, and there is the economic strain of a growing nonprofit organization. This is not for the faint of heart. But--for the right people, it's a lot of fun and meaningful work.

      Why is this work so impactful?

      At VSL, the work we do goes beyond running sober living homes—it’s about changing lives, empowering communities, and reshaping the future of recovery housing. Every day, we make a direct impact on individuals, families, and entire communities by providing structured, supportive environments that help men and women in recovery rebuild their lives.

      • Transforming lives - We help men and women in recovery rebuild their lives by providing them with the stability they need to focus on their recovery and encouraging responsibility and connection within a supportive community.
      • Empowering operators to serve their communities - We provide entrepreneurs with the tools and support to create meaningful, sustainable recovery housing businesses by offering them the opportunity to build a life in service while achieving financial independence.
      • Building a groundbreaking organization - VSL is doing what no one else has done—creating a scalable, sustainable model of recovery housing that is shaping the future of the industry by redefining recovery housing with new strategies and approaches.