Customer Spotlight: How A New Era Sober Living Simplifies Operations Across 11 Houses

Managing 11 recovery homes and around 100 residents means there is a lot to keep track of. For Kristen at A New Era Sober Living (Fargo, North Dakota), one of the biggest advantages of Sobriety Hub has been having a more automated way to handle payments while keeping resident and house information organized.

Kristen has been in recovery for many years, and that firsthand experience inspired her to get into recovery housing. Today, A New Era Sober Living operates 11 houses with around 100 current residents, and Kristen is focused on continuing to expand while moving toward owning more properties.

You can learn more about A New Era Sober Living and view their available homes on their Sobriety Hub Connect profile. Their Connect profile currently features the organization and its published sober living homes.

Finding a More Automated Way to Manage Payments

When Kristen first started using recovery housing software, payment processing was one of the areas that created the most friction.

She explained that the payment processor on her previous platform was difficult to use, particularly when residents made partial payments.

“With Sobriety Hub, when you make a partial payment, it automatically attaches it to the person's account and automatically deducts the partial payment,” Kristen explained.

Previously, handling a partial payment required more manual work. Kristen explained that on One Step, she had to create one invoice for the amount that was paid, mark it as paid, and then create another invoice for the remaining balance.

Today, the process is much more hands-off. Residents can make their payments through their accounts, while payments are automatically tracked. Kristen said she doesn't have to go into the system and manually mark those payments herself.

Keeping 11 Houses Organized

Payments are only one part of running 11 houses.

A New Era Sober Living currently uses 11 custom forms, including sober housing agreements and releases. Resident profiles are stored in Sobriety Hub, and house managers can update resident information as needed.

Kristen also likes having a clearer view of her houses from one place, and the house overview page gives her a much easier way to see what is happening across the organization without having to search through separate information.

Making Things Easier for Residents

The benefits aren't limited to the administrative side.

Kristen said most of her residents use the Sobriety Hub app, although not everyone does. One of the things she specifically mentioned was how the app makes it easier for residents to submit maintenance requests.With resident information, forms, payments, and other operational details kept within the same system, Kristen said the overall experience is simpler.

Saving Time Through Automation

Kristen doesn't have an exact calculation for how much time Sobriety Hub saves her, but she knows it has reduced some of the repetitive work.

She specifically pointed to not having to create multiple invoices for partial payments and said it is easier to find clients in the system. When asked for a rough estimate, she said Sobriety Hub probably saves her 2 hours each week.

When asked what she likes most about the platform, Kristen didn't hesitate: “Definitely the automation,” she said.

She also likes being able to edit different information within the system, giving her more flexibility as she manages her organization.

Growing With a Different Goal in Mind

A New Era Sober Living isn't simply focused on adding more beds.

Kristen shared that she is now working toward buying new properties and eventually moving away from relying on leased units.

The organization is also continuing to expand its reach and find ways to help people in new states.

For Kristen, the goal is to keep growing while making the day-to-day work easier to manage.

After years of building A New Era Sober Living one house at a time, she is now looking toward property ownership and continued expansion, with automation helping simplify some of the work along the way.