Recovery isn't one‑size‑fits‑all.
The Alternative is men's recovery housing in Des Moines for guys who already have something working. You bring the program that keeps you sober. We bring a safe, well-kept home, a few clear expectations, and a house full of men who are building something.
Every window, a different program. Tap one.
Examples of what a week can look like here.
How the house works
This house is built around one question: what does your recovery look like? AA and NA are welcome here. So are Celebrate Recovery, SMART Recovery, your church, the gym, counseling, or anything else you can show is working for you.
Every man here has a real program going, along with a job or school, and someone in his corner: a sponsor or a mentor in recovery. A full life with recovery built into it is exactly what this house is for.
We live as one household: one front door, one kitchen, one table. Everyone signs the same month-to-month house agreement, pays a weekly program service fee, and has a say in how the house runs.
A week in the house
Twice a week the whole house gets together. The rest of your week is yours to plan.
- Sunday8:00 AM
- House meeting over breakfast. Fees for the week and a weekly review of the house and the house agreement.
- Wednesday8:00 PM
- House dinner.
Sketch a sample week
Pick a day, then tap what keeps you sober. Add as many as you want to any day. The green spots belong to the house; everything else is yours.
Pick a few to start.
For illustration only. Recovery looks different for everybody, and nobody's week here looks quite like anyone else's.
What does your recovery look like?
If you already know the answer, get on the waitlist.
What we ask of each other
This house runs on grown men owning their lives: showing up, following through, and getting done what needs to get done, at home and in recovery. Day to day, that looks like this.
- Stay sober. Testing happens at random, which keeps it fair for everyone.
- Have something going: a job or school.
- Keep your recovery going, in whatever form works for you.
- Do your part around the house. Everyone shares the house responsibilities.
- Be home by curfew: 11 PM your first 30 days, midnight after that.
- Pay your fee on time.
Keeping the house safe
Everyone here is protecting his recovery. These four end a stay the same day.
- Drinking or usingK2 and other synthetics included
- Violence or threats toward anyone
- Refusing or tampering with a test
- Bringing alcohol or drugs into the house, or giving them to anyone here
For everyone's safety, the property is weapon-free (cars included), overnight guests stay elsewhere, and we're unable to house registered sex offenders.
Your first 30 days, and after
First 30 daysCurfew 11 PM
Everyone starts here, whatever your time. Your program keeps going from day one: your meetings, the gym, church, counseling, whatever you're already doing. Use this month to settle in and get to know the house. Overnight passes and visitors begin after 30 days, when you share with the house what your recovery looks like.
After thatCurfew midnight
One night away a week, and visitors welcome in the common areas. Curfew runs on your word. If it starts getting tight, we'll check in with you.
Living together
- Visitors
- Welcome after your first 30 days, in the common areas. Bedrooms stay private.
- Your kids
- Welcome in the common areas. We want this to be a place you're proud to bring them.
- Cars
- Park in the lot and keep your insurance current. We'll ask to see it.
- House manager
- A resident who lives here like everyone else and helps keep the house running. The same expectations apply to him.
- Neighbors
- We want to be the house the neighbors never have to think about. The outside gets kept up like the inside. If you live nearby and something about the house ever bothers you, call or text (515) 553-2125 and we'll take care of it.
If a stay stops working, we can end it. When that happens, we keep the reason private; anyone else hears only that it was time for a different fit.
Alongside the help you already have
Recovery doesn't happen in one place. The men who live here already have people in their corner: a counselor, a doctor, a sponsor, a pastor, a parole officer, family. The house is one more piece of that, not the center of it.
The Alternative is built to work alongside the professionals in the Des Moines recovery community: counselors, clinics, doctors and treatment programs. The house supports the help you already have. It doesn't try to replace it.
The house is being built to the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR) Level II standards.
Questions people ask
Do I have to go to AA or NA?
Only if that's your program. Church, the gym, counseling or something else counts too. What matters is that you're doing something real and can tell the house what it is.
Is this a treatment program?
It's housing: a sober, structured place to live while you keep your own recovery going. Clinical care stays with your own providers.
Who is the house for?
Men with at least 90 days sober who are close to living on their own and want a safe, affordable place to get there. Maybe the places you can afford right now are in a rough part of town. Maybe you're ready to stand on your own instead of leaning on family. This is the step before your own place.
How long can I stay?
The house agreement runs month to month, so you stay as long as it's working for you and for the house.
What does it cost to move in?
A one-time $145 move-in fee plus your first week. Deposit, application and testing are all free. Moving in mid-week? The first partial week is prorated.
Cost
A furnished room in a stable, well-kept house. Most guys pay weekly at the Sunday meeting.
- Program service feePaid each Sunday
- $200 a week
- Pay four weeks aheadSave $100
- $700
- Move-in feeOne time
- $145
Deposit, application and testing are all free.
Get on the waitlist
The house opens soon. Leave your name and we'll reach out with move-in timing as soon as a bed is ready. What you send here stays private.