Austin Oxford Houses

About Oxford Houses in Austin, Texas

Willowick became the first Oxford House in Austin and in Texas, opening in August of 1990. We have grown to ten men's and five women's houses.

Our two newest houses Rosewood House located in Central Austin near Rosewood and Chestnut,  and RockRidge House located in South Austin near Wm Cannon and IH35, accepts women with children.

The Purpose and Structure of Oxford House

Oxford House is a concept in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. In its simplest form, an Oxford House describes a democratically run, self-supporting and drug free home. Parallel to this concept lies the organizational structure of Oxford House, Inc. This publicly supported, non-profit 501(c)3 corporation is the umbrella organization which provides the network connecting all Oxford Houses and allocates resources to duplicate the Oxford House concept where needs arise.

The Oxford House Network
A Self-Run Structure

Three or more Oxford Houses within a 100 mile radius comprise an Oxford House Chapter. A representative of each House in the Chapter meets with the others on a monthly basis, to exchange information, to seek resolution of problems in a particular House, and to express that Chapter's vote on larger issues.

The World Council is comprised of 12 members: 9 of which presently live in an Oxford House, and 3 alumni. Members are elected each year at the Oxford House World Convention. The primary mission of the Oxford House World Council is to facilitate adherence to Oxford House Traditions' concept and system of operations, by providing effective means of communication and mission focus between the various organizational structures of Oxford House as a whole. In carrying out its mission the Council always keeps a focus on expansion of the network of individual Oxford Houses, to provide all recovering alcoholics and drug addictions the opportunity to develop comfortable sobriety without relapse.

The Board of Directors maintains the sole right to Charter, and to revoke the Charter of, individual Oxford Houses and exercises authority over the policies and officers of Oxford House, Inc. In this way, Oxford House, Inc. remains responsive to the needs of the population it serves.

Info for Neighbors

Oxford House™ is a thirty-two year old concept and system of operation for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts to have a realistic opportunity to get comfortable enough in sobriety to stay clean and sober forever. Houses are always rented. Oxford House™. owns no property because our interest is recovery not money or wealth. We also want to avoid any temptation to fight over money or property.

By renting good houses in good neighborhoods, we have demonstrated that we can be good neighbors all over the country. As you can see on our website, well over a thousand houses provide homes for about 10,000 recovering individuals at any one time – and we have been proving it for over thirty years. Since 1975, neighbors have found that Oxford House™ residents are in fact good neighbors. In 2006, the Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community (The Hayworth Press) Vol. 31, No. 1/2, 2006, pp 41-49 published an article This Is My Neighborhood: Comparing United States and Australian Oxford House Neighborhoods found–independent of Oxford House™ itself–that neighbors found Oxford House™ residents made “good neighbors.” Quoting Jason, Roberts and Olson (2004) the authors found that “neighbors living in immediate proximity of a U.S. Oxford House considered the residents more positively than persons living several blocks away; moreover, property values on the block where the Oxford Houses were located did not decrease once the setting was established.” In fact, everywhere Oxford House has located property values increased – contrary to some of the unfounded fears that a few individuals sometimes fan when they learn an Oxford House™ is coming to town.

Ever since the first Oxford House™ started in Silver Spring, Maryland in 1975, the men and women in Oxford House have made all that they do – or fail to do – open to the public. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Oxford House™ World Services keeps its finances, actions and locations open to the public because we want the public and neighbors to know what we do and why we do it. Feel free to stop by and visit the men or women living in an Oxford House™.

All our materials are included at our web site and neighbors can understand how Oxford House™ works by downloading and reading any of the material. This is important for two reasons:[1] we want neighbors to know us, and [2] neighbors want to know us because they usually know someone or have a relative that has been an active alcoholic or drug addict. Oxford House™ becomes good news because the Oxford House™ self-run, self-supported, disciplined concept and system of operations replaces hopelessness with hope and failure with success. Moreover, the Oxford House™ concept of self-support saves taxpayers a lot of money and it produces successful recovery without relapse for four to five times as many individuals as any other recovery method afforded alcoholics and/or drug addicts. Please look over all the material we have at this website and feel free to contact us if you have any questions. We will get back to you quickly. We have been and will continue to be good neighbors. A good starting place to understand Oxford House™ is Oxford House: Expanding to Meet the Need and the pamphlet Self-Help Recovery Housing Since 1975 – both of which can be download as PDF documents by simply clicking on the titles. The 2006 National Drug Control Strategy from The White House highlights Oxford House™ as A Place of Hope and Healing. That it is – and a good neighbor as well.

NEWS

Website issues

Dec. 28, 2009

As of today, we are unable to log on to our web pages and update. Our provider is working with me to fix it. Please be patient.  The same issue prevents  the default house photo from displaying. - Randy

New Treasurer Leaves Oxford House

Dec. 27, 2009

Unfortunately the newly elected treasurer has left Oxford House. 

Randy has agreed to act as interim treasurer until next chapter meeting.

Please remit monthly dues to:

 Oxford House Chapter1 5402 Jeffburn Cove
Austin, TX 78745

Attention: Randy

Formula to figure your house dues.

$20.00 goes to OHI. ($50.00 suggested)

$20.00 goes to Chapter

$ 2.00/Bed goes to the State Board

$ 5.00/Bed goes to Chapter

$40.00 plus $7/bed equals your dues.