About Us

Our History

In 2018, alarmed by the increasing rate of addiction and the lack of sober living homes outside of the city, women in AA & Al-Anon had a vision for opening up Gratitude House. Generous donors attended concerts and coffees which enabled the purchase of the first home in December of 2023. In the spring of 2024, Gratitude House opened up its doors to the first residents.

Our Mission

The mission of Gratitude House is to reduce the rate of relapse by providing a safe, supportive, and beautiful home for women who are committed to 12-step recovery.

Our Vision

Our vision is for women to stay for as long as they need, up to one year, during which time they will gain the structure, accountability, and fellowship needed to reduce the risk of relapse and empower them to thrive.

Our Power

Backed by a strong board of all women and an Executive Director with extensive experience, Gratitude House is staffed by a live-in House Manager with decades of sobriety. Additionally, the recovery community in St. Louis is strong and nationally known for for its service, unity, generosity, and thousands of meetings.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life...

It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.

~ Melody Beattie

Our House

Beautiful three-story Victorian home with a wrap-around porch
Situated on a private one-acre lot in a quiet suburban neighborhood
Private and semi-private bedrooms for up to eight women
Spacious kitchen, eating area, and dining room
Two living rooms, a meeting room, and a meditation room + 2 1/2 bathrooms
Plenty of outdoor seating and gas grill on the back patio

Why live in a Sober-Living Home?

A sober living home is a type of residential facility designed to support individuals recovering from substance abuse. It offers a structured and supportive living environment that encourages residents to maintain sobriety while gradually transitioning back to everyday life. Unlike formal treatment centers, sober living homes typically do not provide medical or clinical services, but they often encourage participation in recovery programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA). Residents are expected to follow house rules, which usually include attending regular meetings, maintaining sobriety, contributing to household chores, and adhering to curfews.

These homes often provide a bridge for individuals who have completed an inpatient or outpatient treatment program but need additional support before reintegrating fully into society. They offer a drug- and alcohol-free environment, fostering peer support and accountability. Overwhelming research consistently demonstrates that social networks play a critical role in the success of individuals recovering from alcohol and drug addiction. Those involved in 12-step programs, like Alcoholics Anonymous, have been shown to experience improved outcomes. Likewise, supportive housing, particularly for those who are homeless or living in environments that encourage substance use, is vital to sustaining recovery. Without this, individuals are more likely to relapse if they return to environments that do not support sobriety.

Gratitude House is a home with heart: Raising the standard for transformative, personalized, and accountable sober living.

What makes Gratitude House different than the

standard Sober-living home?

Many sober living homes provide only basic housing and minimal structure, operating more as a place where residents are just expected to live and not use drugs or alcohol. These homes often lack live-in guidance; instead, they may rely on a resident with slightly more sobriety to act as a monitor in exchange for reduced rent. This approach often falls short of providing effective accountability or true mentorship.

In many SLHs, the focus is solely on staying sober, without structured programs for personal development. Requirements may be as low as three meetings a week, with little verification, allowing residents to go through the motions without real engagement. Such environments may allow residents to even become “dry drunks” where individuals are abstaining but not actively acquiring new tools for living.

The physical environments of standard SLHs are often bare, institutional, or even rundown, and may be even located in less desirable neighborhoods. These settings fail to provide the warmth and stability that foster healing and a sense of dignity. Residents are often left on their own to find meetings, jobs, recovery friends, and sponsors, which can make it challenging for them to build the solid foundation needed for long-term sobriety.

In contrast, Gratitude House elevates every aspect of the sober living experience. Our home is beautifully furnished, meticulously clean, and located in a serene, desirable suburban neighborhood, creating a welcoming, dignified space. Our House Manager is a professional with long-term sobriety herself. She offers hands-on, compassionate guidance far beyond what most SLHs provide. Unlike typical SLHs that allow residents to come and go with minimal engagement, we require morning and evening check-ins and daily meeting attendance, fostering accountability and community.

Gratitude House is deeply rooted in the 12-step AA and NA programs, emphasizing the importance of not just sobriety but active recovery work. Our residents engage in daily reflections on their meetings, focus on gratitude, service, and financial responsibility, and have access to weekly support from volunteer professionals in areas such as job readiness and financial literacy.