Inside the house
Nothing here is a surprise later.
you sign it before you move in, and you get a copy
Every standard below is in a document a man reads and signs before he gets a key. We publish them because a program that will not tell you its rules up front is not a program worth moving into.
How you get in
Seven steps, and you meet the house before anyone decides.
A background check is part of it. Having a record does not disqualify you. That is who this program is for.
- 01
Apply, or get referred
Send the application yourself, or come through a partner agency, a case manager, a chaplain, or someone who knows you.
- 02
We read it
Every application is reviewed. We respond within 48 hours either way.
- 03
An interview
A real conversation, not an interrogation. What obstacle have you faced and how did you handle it. What will you contribute to this house. Where do you see yourself in ten years. What can we tell you about the program.
- 04
References
We read the letters of recommendation you send with the application.
- 05
Background check
A criminal background check is part of the process. Having a record does not disqualify you. That is who this program is for. Registered offenses do.
- 06
Meet the house
You meet the men you would be living with before anyone decides. They are part of this call, and so are you.
- 07
Final approval
If it is a fit, you get an acceptance letter and a move-in date. If it is not, we tell you honestly and point you somewhere better.
What it takes to stay
Three things, every month, for as long as you are here.
Follow the rules and be a positive presence
Everything you agree to is in the program agreement you sign before you move in. Nothing in it is a surprise later.
Work, study, or volunteer full time
Be gainfully employed, a full-time student, or volunteering full time with an approved organization. Momentum is the whole point.
Pay your program fees on time
Fees are due at the start of each month. If money gets tight, tell the house manager before the 20th and we work on a budget with you. Scholarship hours can reduce what you owe.
Program fees and any scholarship hours are gone through with you in the interview and written into the agreement before you move in. Ask us at any point and you will get a straight number.
The standards
What we hold, and why.
These exist so that a man in his first month of recovery can sleep in this house and know what he is walking into. Accountability here comes with both firmness and grace.
Recovery
- No alcohol, marijuana, or illegal drugs anywhere on the property
- Drug testing is mandatory and random, and is taken immediately when asked. Refusing counts as a positive test
- A positive test means leaving the program. If you want inpatient treatment and your place back, ask for a meeting and you get an answer within 24 hours
- Proof of counseling goes to the office
Safety
- No firearms, knives, or other lethal instruments
- Zero tolerance for threats, harassment, or violence toward another resident or staff
- Cameras film the hallways and living rooms, and are never to be blocked or moved
- Doors are key-coded, one code per resident, never shared. A lost key is $50
- Vehicles need a valid licence, current tabs, and insurance
The house
- Quiet hours are 10pm to 7am
- Guests are approved in advance and sign in and out. You are responsible for how your guests behave
- No smoking indoors. Designated areas outside only, at least 25 feet from any window, door, or vent
- No pets, including guests’ pets
- Everyone shares meal planning, cooking, and cleanup, plus rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, common areas, and the outside of the house
- All cooking happens in the kitchen. No food is stored in bedrooms
- The house is inspected at least once every 30 days
Showing up
- House meetings are weekly or twice monthly and they are mandatory. Work and school are the only excuses, and you tell the house manager yourself
- Incidents are reported to the house manager and in writing. Management investigates and writes back with what they found
- You can decorate your room, within reason, with the house manager’s approval
Your rights as a resident
Dignity is a document here, not a slogan.
Every man signs this and keeps a copy. Sixteen rights, each paired with the responsibility that comes with it, because one does not work without the other.
You have the right to
And the responsibility to
- A clean, furnished home that meets your daily needs
- Take care of it, keep it clean, and say something when things break or run out.
- Privacy while you dress, bathe, and use the bathroom, and no photos of you without your consent
- Give others the same privacy, and never post a photo of someone who has not said yes.
- People knock and wait before entering your room
- Answer when people knock and tell them whether you are available.
- Your own clothes and your own possessions
- Look after them, and keep your inventory current.
- A nutritious, well balanced diet
- Make good food choices and keep your food in your space.
- Mail that nobody opens but you
- Never open anyone else’s.
- Your place of worship, whichever one that is
- Respect that other men will choose differently.
- To live safely and practice your culture without mistreatment
- Be willing to share and to understand someone else’s. Report anything that makes you or anyone else unsafe.
- To be treated with dignity and respect at all times
- Treat others that way, and say so when someone has not.
- Fair treatment, and to know who to talk to when it is not
- Try the person first. If that does not work, the house manager or the Executive Director.
- To contact and see family and friends
- Be accountable for your own conduct, and theirs.
- To come and go in the community
- Let people know where you are going and when you are back.
- To decide how you spend your money
- Learn the skills, pay your bills, keep your money safe.
- To see your own records, kept private otherwise
- Understand them and say who may look at them.
- Your own personal boundaries
- Say what they are, and speak up when someone crosses them.
- To be free from physical and sexual assault, and to have No mean No
- Say no, hear no, and if an assault happens, call law enforcement and the Executive Director immediately.
From the Level Up Seattle Resident Rights and Responsibilities, signed by the resident, the house manager, and Level Up.
FAQ
Questions about living here
What are the house rules at Level Up Home?
Does Level Up Home drug test residents?
Do I have to work to live at Level Up Home?
Does a criminal record disqualify me?
How does Level Up Home decide who gets a bed?
Can I have guests or visitors?
What rights do residents have at Level Up Home?
Take the next step
If that sounds like something you can do, apply.
The application is confidential, takes under ten minutes, and commits you to nothing. We answer within 48 hours either way, and we are honest about fit in both directions.