Sober living for women: How Hannah House creates a safe place to heal

When Elizabeth arrived at Hannah House in Billings, Montana, she was trying to rebuild more than her sobriety.

She was trying to rebuild her life.

After years of feeling isolated, she was unsure who to trust. She wanted stability for herself and her children, but starting over felt overwhelming.

Then she found something she had been missing for a long time: community.

“I was alone for a long time,” Elizabeth said. “When I came here, I found people who cared. This place helped me reconnect with my kids and start moving forward.”

For women recovering from addiction, having a safe place to live can shape everything that comes next.

Why stable housing matters for addiction recovery

Recovery becomes much harder when someone does not have stable housing.

Without a safe place to stay, people often struggle to maintain treatment, care for children, keep a job, or build the routines that support long-term recovery. Housing instability can also increase stress, affect mental health, and make it harder to focus on healing.

That connection between housing and health is something Intermountain Health sees across the communities it serves.

Community Health Needs Assessments conducted across Intermountain Health’s footprint show that housing cost burden remains consistently higher in states including Colorado, Montana, Nevada, and Utah than the national average.

Housing cost burden means families are spending 30% or more of their income on housing expenses. When that happens, people are often forced to make difficult choices between housing, food, transportation, childcare, and healthcare.

For women rebuilding their lives after addiction, stable housing can provide the structure and support needed to move forward.

At Hannah House, that support shows up in everyday moments.

Elizabeth describes preparing meals with other residents, attending classes, and spending evenings with her children in a place where they finally felt safe and supported again.

Her children found a sense of belonging there too.

“There’s hope here,” she said. “Being brave and taking that first step to fill out an application can change everything.”

How Hannah House supports women and children in recovery

Operated by Community Leadership & Development Inc., Hannah House has served the Billings community for more than a decade.

The sober living facility supports women and families recovering from addiction by providing more than temporary housing. It offers structure, community, and stability during a critical stage of recovery.

Demand for those services has continued to grow in recent years.

But like many community organizations, expanding access was difficult because traditional financing options were limited.

That’s where Intermountain Health stepped in and provided a low-cost loan that helped Hannah House expand from 15 to 20 housing units.

That increase may sound small, but for women and children looking for support, it created more opportunities to access safe housing and recovery services.

The lower financing costs also freed up resources for additional support programs, including:

• On-site childcare
• Shared meals
• Supportive community spaces
• Structured daily routines

“Hannah House shows what happens when we first listen and invest with intention,” said Nicholas Fritz, director of place-based investing at Intermountain Health.

Hannah House reports a 75% success rate in helping women maintain sobriety if they stay a year or longer, by securing housing, employment, and consistent daily structure.

“This wasn’t just about adding units,” Fritz said. “It was about creating a foundation women could build their lives on.”

How place-based investing supports community health

Intermountain Health supports community organizations like Hannah House through place-based investing – a strategy that uses mission-aligned, low-cost loans to support housing and financial well-being in local communities.

Since 2019, Intermountain Health has committed more than $130 million through this strategy across multiple states.

The work includes working with community organizations focused on affordable housing, financial stability, and community development.

As an anchor institution, Intermountain Health works to support long-term community health both inside and outside healthcare settings.

The investment in Hannah House builds on a longstanding relationship between Intermountain St. Vincent Regional Hospital and Community Leadership & Development Inc. – one focused on responding to local needs with practical support.

The lasting impact of a place to start over

For Elizabeth, Hannah House became more than a place to stay.

It became a place where she could reconnect with her children, rebuild trust in herself, and imagine a different future.

Her story reflects what can happen when women and families have access to stability, support, and a community that believes in their recovery.

Because sometimes healing starts with something simple: a door that locks, a meal shared, and people who believe you can.

To learn more about Hannah House, recovery services, or ways to support women and families rebuilding their lives, visit the Hannah House website. You can explore program information, apply for services, or support the organization through its community wishlist.