Men’s reentry program fills recovery gap in mid-Missouri
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
More than a month after opening its doors, one of Jefferson City's only accredited sober living homes for men is already full, with six more people waiting for a bed.
Landmark Recovery’s Men’s Sober Living Home opened on June 1 helps men with reentry into the workforce. Residents include men who may have been unhoused, recently incarcerated or are recovering from addiction. The group accepts referrals from state and local agencies, local programs and even self-referrals.
The home fits up to eight men, ages 18 and older. Nine men in total have been served since the start of the sober house program.
"This house essentially provides a safe home, but it also gives them structure," Landmark Recovery Director Jerica Bowman said. "They have access to all of the services that Landmark offers, free of charge, we work on addressing the domains of recovery, including social support, family support, employment, mental health, physical health, and practical needs for food or clothing."
The program also hosts events for residents, including cookouts, outdoor activites and a planned skydiving trip Saturday.
Landmark Recovery is funded primarily by the Department of Mental Health State Opioid Response Funds, with the remainder coming from local and county contracts that use the program as a recovery service provider, such as Callaway County.
According to the Missouri Accountability Portal, the group received around $325,000 by the department in 2026 and $310,000 in 2025.
“That's what enables us to be able to provide these services to our residents. We can very easily refer our guys to the services that we already offer here, thanks to our funding from DMH," Bowman said. "That pays for our staff to be able to provide the peer support that they do and the care coordination as well as transportation.”
Once in the home, residents also pay for their housing, with a weekly fee of $130 per week and $200 worth of smaller fees that can either be paid as an initial deposit or throughout the program.
The home is rented by Landmark Recovery, with the home's property owner updating the interior with new outlets to accommodate additional fridges for food storage and bedrooms to accommodate two people.
"It's so hard to find second-chance housing that's willing to overlook a background ,or overlook credit score, or overlook poor rental history, so there is a dramatic need in our area for housing," Bowman said.
According to the Missouri Coalition of Recovery Support Providers, there are only two state-funded recovery programs in Jefferson City: The Healing House and New Beginnings, Inc., with five women's-only homes, and Landmark Recovery.
There are 12 recovery programs in Mid-Missouri in total, with 64 available homes. 55 of the homes are located in Columbia.
The cities of Macks Creek, Marshall, Hannibal, Warrensburg, Fulton and Sedalia all have at most three recovery homes in each location, totaling to 13 homes.
"Every single month at Landmark Recovery Center, our office here in town, we refer over 40 people to either housing programs or treatment programs around the state," Bowman said. "It really shows that right here in our county, people are struggling to find accommodating housing, but because there are no options here, we're having to take them outside of the county."
Bowman adds that she hopes for the program to grow, including homes for independent living.
"Our discouragement comes from a lack of housing, independent housing for our men that when they leave this program, we have to find somewhere for them to go next to be able to reunify with their children or to be able to gain independence," Bowman said. "if we dream really big, I would love to open more houses like the one we have now."
