The Beacon, a women’s recovery house in Des Moines, has become accredited by the National Alliance for Recovery Residences, which has 2,500 certified recovery houses across the nation. NARR is a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding the availability of well-operated, ethical and supportive recovery housing. “Research from Harvard University indicates that recovery houses can decrease the average amount of time from onset of addiction to achieving the same quality of life as those who did not experience addiction from 15 years down to five years,” said Melissa Vine, executive director of the Beacon. “We are honored to be the first in Iowa to complete this extensive and rigorous process and grateful for the support and insight we have received along the way.” The Iowa Department of Public Health contacted the Beacon late last year with the desire to bring a standardized approach to services for those in recovery from substance use in Iowa through the NARR certification process. The Beacon serves adult women in Central Iowa who are experiencing homelessness due to domestic violence, incarceration or substance use by providing a trauma-informed residential facility and evidence-based programming and support.