1.A.1.a. Mission

Rule

A written mission that reflects a commitment to those served and identifies the population served which, at a minimum, includes persons in recovery from a substance use disorder.

Levels

This rule applies to all recovery residence levels of support.

Guidance

A mission statement is a short written statement that describes the purpose or aim of the organization. It describes who the organization serves, what it does, its objectives, and its approach to reaching those objectives. The mission serves as a guide for decision-making, and it should be shared with a range of decision-makers (e.g. governance body, administrators, direct support staff, residents and/or the public). According to the rule, the mission must reflect a commitment to the population served, which, at a minimum, includes persons in recovery from substance use issues.

This rule assessment can become somewhat subjective, especially when the mission statement alludes to a target population rather than implicitly naming a target population. The following mission statement examples may offer guidance:

• To provide recovery supportive residences to women with substance use issues (Obviously reflects)

• Providing comprehensive solutions to ending homelessness and promote self-sufficiency (May reflect since substance use is prevalent amongst persons at risk for or who are experiencing homelessness and “self-sufficiency” could be a characteristic of recovery)

• To empower individual investors to take control of their financial lives (Obviously DOES NOT reflect)

Evaluation

Use the following questions to verify that a recovery residence meets this standard rule:

• Is there a short written statement, known as a mission statement, that describes the purpose or aim of the organization?

• Does the mission statement directly or indirectly reflect a commitment to serving persons in recovery from substance use disorder?

• Is there evidence that the mission is shared with decision makers?

Evidence

Evidence that this rule is met is a written submission of the mission statement as well as policies and procedures that ensure that it is shared in documents written for specific decision makers:

• Governing body (e.g., bylaws, strategic plan)

• Administrative staff (e.g., policy and procedure manual)

• Direct support staff (e.g., staff handbook, job descriptions)

• Residents (e.g., resident agreement, resident handbook, community board)

• Public (e.g., website, marketing)

References

• Help writing a mission statement
• How is this rule relevant to my accreditation application?