Central Market
Local food and a community hub beside Penn Square.
Destination recovery · Sober living & IOP/PHP · Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Close to New York. Far enough to focus.
Private, supervised recovery residences in Lancaster’s Historic District, with intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization programming coming Fall 2026. Serious recovery for people who need space to rebuild, without disconnecting from work, family or life.
Or call 833-799-6500 · every day, 9 AM–5 PM ET
Placeholder · aerial dawn video of Lancaster to be supplied
Licensing & standing
Not all sober living is the same.
Licensing, supervision and independent standards matter. PorchLight Recovery operates supervised recovery residences in Pennsylvania with a level of structure designed for people who need accountability without sacrificing dignity or autonomy.
How do you choose a sober living home?
Check three things: a state license, the level of supervision, and independent certification. PorchLight is licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Drug & Alcohol Programs (DDAP), certified NARR Level III supervised, and a member of the Pennsylvania Alliance of Recovery Residences (PARR).
DDAP-licensed
Licensed and inspected by the Pennsylvania Department of Drug & Alcohol Programs.
NARR Level III
Supervised: the National Alliance for Recovery Residences standard for staffed homes with structured life-skills programming.
PARR member
The Pennsylvania Alliance of Recovery Residences, NARR’s state affiliate.
Recovery Friendly Workplace
Recovery should lead somewhere. As a certified Pennsylvania Recovery Friendly Workplace, PorchLight offers careers serving people in early recovery. Search our job openings
PorchLight Recovery at a glance
- What
- Supervised sober living in restored historic homes, with an Executive Track for working professionals
- Clinical care
- IOP and PHP with Lancaster County partner providers today; PorchLight’s own 12-week program at 12–14 S. Queen St. from Fall 2026
- Where
- 12 S. Queen Street, Lancaster’s Historic District, PA 17603
- Who it serves
- Professionals, young adults and their families, and people rebuilding mid-career, from across the Northeast and beyond
- Accommodation
- Executive suites, private rooms and shared rooms in restored historic homes
- Length of stay
- Average recommended stay of six months
- Admissions
- 833-799-6500, every day, 9 AM–5 PM ET; same-day intake often possible
Why Lancaster
A place apart. Not a place away.
Why relocate to Lancaster for recovery?
Because it offers meaningful distance without disconnection. Lancaster is close enough to New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington to stay connected to work and family, and far enough from familiar environments to create space for something different.
Historic, walkable and quietly vibrant, Lancaster offers the rhythm of real life without the intensity of a major city: brick sidewalks, Central Market, cafés, parks and the Fulton Theatre, all within a few blocks of the residences.
Near enough for family to visit on a weekend. Far enough from the office that it stops calling.
Lancaster isn’t sleepy. It’s discreet.
World-class work happens quietly here.
Milton Hershey honed his craft in downtown Lancaster. Some of today’s biggest concert tours are built and rehearsed at Rock Lititz, minutes away. Manufacturers, artists, chefs, entrepreneurs and medical institutions do serious work here, away from the spotlight.
There’s something to be said for doing important work away from the spotlight. Recovery can work the same way.
Some places are worth going away for · Lancaster in the national press
- SmithsonianLancaster’s day as the nation’s capital, 27 September 1777.
- National Geographic“Three centuries of refuge.”
- WSJ / Realtor.comAmong America’s leading housing markets.
- ForbesBest Places for Business and Careers.
- U.S. NewsAmong America’s best places to live.
Coverage of Lancaster, not endorsements of PorchLight. Citations to be verified before publication.
Lancaster has always been a place people come to build something new.
The recovery campus
Recovery in real life.
A walkable campus in the heart of Lancaster’s historic downtown: residences, clinical care, work, coffee, food, parks and transit, so you can focus on what’s next without leaving life behind.
Fulton Theatre
A historic downtown theatre on N. Prince St.
Clinical center · Fall 2026
IOP & PHP (12-week program), PorchLight Roastery café and Pathways at 12–14 S. Queen St.
Southern Market & cafés
A food hall and the restaurants around Penn Square.
Amtrak station
Direct to New York and Philadelphia; door-to-door pickup.
Parks & green space
Musser Park: quiet places to reflect, walk and reset.
PorchLight residences
The Cheshire Estate (men) and The Derby House (women), restored historic homes.
Future homes
The Royer House (veterans & first responders), The Lemon Tree (young professionals), The Winter House (LGBTQ+).
Easy to reach.
Hard to leave.
- New YorkDirect Amtrak from Penn Station
- PhiladelphiaDirect Amtrak
- WashingtonRail-connected
- BaltimoreEasy regional access
- New JerseyWithin driving distance
- NationwideFly into PHL or BWI, with a coordinated arrival
Streets and walking routes: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Walking times from 12–14 S. Queen St at an unhurried pace. Gym & wellness and Lancaster Historic Homes family lodging: locations to be confirmed. Photos of the clinical center and residences to be supplied.
Recover
Residence · clinical care · peer community · fitness & wellness
Rebuild
Pathways · Roastery · workforce skills · education & career direction
Reconnect
Family lodging · city life · parks · food · rail · relationships
A different kind of destination
Some recovery destinations ask you to leave your life behind. PorchLight was built to help you return to it.
- Privacy without isolation.
- Structure without institutionalization.
- Distance without disconnection.
- Treatment without abandoning your future.
- Recovery without surrendering who you are.
Don’t escape your life. Rebuild it.
Opening Fall 2026 · 12–14 S. Queen Street
Clinical care. Residential stability. One connected experience.
Can you live in sober housing while attending IOP or PHP?
Yes. Attend treatment during the day, or in the evening when offered, and return to a supervised historic residence at night. Today, residents attend IOP or PHP with Lancaster County partner providers. From Fall 2026, PorchLight’s own 12-week program opens at 12–14 S. Queen Street. Clinical care and structured sober living come together, without an institutional environment.
Treatment addresses what brought you here. Pathways helps determine where you go next.
Who it’s right for: adults who are medically stable, usually after detox or residential treatment. Anyone who needs detox, 24-hour medical care or acute psychiatric stabilization should start there, and admissions can help coordinate that first step.
The clinical center12–14 S. Queen St, beside Penn Square · clinical care, café & workforce development
18–20hours per week
≈ 4 weeks
≈ 4 weeks
Partial Hospitalization (PHP): the most structure, without a hospital stay
The first phase of the 12-week program: full days of programming, then home to your residence each evening.
- Psychiatric evaluation and medication management
- Intensive group and individual therapy
- Life-skills training and vocational support
- Family therapy and education
Suited to people stepping down from inpatient treatment, or anyone who needs more structure than IOP provides. PHP is a daytime commitment, so most people reduce or pause work during this phase.
10–12hours per week
≈ 8 weeks
≈ 8 weeks
Intensive Outpatient (IOP): treatment that fits around your work
The second phase of the 12-week program, with evening sessions when offered, so work can continue when clinically appropriate.
- Individual therapy with licensed counselors
- Group therapy focused on relapse prevention and coping skills
- Dual-diagnosis care for co-occurring mental health conditions
- Medication management when appropriate
Suited to people who need ongoing clinical support but can’t take extended leave from work or school. With evening sessions when offered, work can often continue.
6months, average
recommended stay
recommended stay
Level III supervised living, around the clock
The structure that holds everything together between sessions, in a restored home a short walk from the clinical center.
- Care coordination between your clinical team and house staff
- Individual, peer and life-skills recovery coaching
- Drug testing and accountability that supports your goals
- Goal and progress tracking with OneStep
- Transportation to clinical appointments
Until Fall 2026, residents attend IOP and PHP with trusted partner providers across Lancaster County, with transport provided.
Nextwhat comes
after treatment
after treatment
PorchLight Pathways: from stability to direction
Education, workforce preparation, life skills and career development, running alongside treatment and continuing after it.
- Vocational Prep
- Workforce & Managerial Prep
- Collegiate Prep
- An entrepreneurial, action-based approach across every track
- Opening
- Fall 2026
- Program
- 12 weeks: PHP ≈ 4 weeks, then IOP ≈ 8 weeks
- Location
- 12–14 S. Queen St, beside Penn Square and Central Market
- From the residences
- 7–9 min walk
A home while you rebuild
Private rooms and executive suites in restored historic homes.
Elevated living. Serious recovery.
Choose an executive suite with its own kitchenette, full bathroom and workspace, a private room, or a shared room. Men live at The Cheshire Estate and women at The Derby House, restored homes in Lancaster’s Historic District.
A private apartment within the residence
For guests who need to keep working. A private bath, kitchenette, workspace and high-speed internet inside a restored 18th- or 19th-century Lancaster residence.
Rates and availability are shared personally in your confidential consultation.
Ask about availabilityRestored residences, not institutional facilities.
Thoughtful spaces to live, work and reconnect, with Level III supervision woven into everyday life. Financial assistance through PorchLight Gives may be available.
Residences, rates & assistance- Business center
- Private workspaces
- Business-class internet
- Private courtyards
- Gourmet kitchens
- Fitness access
- Transport to appointments
- Private laundry
- Housekeeping (extra service)
Veterans & first responders
A peer-supported program led by veteran owners, for service members, veterans, law enforcement, firefighters, EMTs, dispatchers and corrections officers. Preferred terms are available for verified guests. About the program
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Three centuries of people coming here to get something right.
For nearly 300 years Lancaster has been a place of independence, invention, refuge, craftsmanship and reinvention. Our residences sit inside that story, in one of the largest urban historic districts in the country.
- Independence
Capital for a day
On 27 September 1777 the Continental Congress, having fled Philadelphia, convened in Lancaster.
- Courage
Thaddeus Stevens & Lydia Hamilton Smith
An abolitionist congressman and his business partner, a free woman of color, who fought for equal rights from Lancaster.
- Invention
Robert Fulton
Born in Lancaster County, the engineer who made steam navigation a working reality.
- Entrepreneurship
Woolworth & Hershey
F.W. Woolworth’s first successful store opened here; Milton Hershey built his caramel business downtown before chocolate.
- Creativity
From Demuth to Rock Lititz
Modernist painter Charles Demuth worked here. Today the world’s biggest tours are built minutes away.
Lancaster has always made room for people building something new. Recovery belongs in that story.
All historic claims to be verified and cited before publication.
For professionals · The Executive Track
Recovery without disappearing.
- Keep your phone.
- Keep your laptop.
- Keep working when clinically appropriate.
- Have your own room.
- See your family.
- Walk into town.
- Take the train home.
- Receive serious treatment.
Change your life without abandoning it.
3×satisfactory
discharge
discharge
People living in structured sober housing during outpatient treatment were about three times as likely to leave treatment with a satisfactory discharge.Mericle et al., J Subst Abuse Treat, 2022
The Executive Track is built for executives, business owners, attorneys, physicians and other licensed professionals who need to keep their careers moving while they recover.
What should working professionals look for in sober living?
Four things: a licensed, supervised home; privacy; the freedom to keep working; and clinical care close by. PorchLight is DDAP-licensed and NARR Level III supervised, with private rooms and executive suites, phones and laptops welcome, and IOP scheduled around work.
PorchLight Pathways · Recovery to prosperity
Recovery is the beginning. What comes next matters.
PorchLight Pathways helps clients translate stability into direction through education, workforce preparation, life skills and career development.
I’m ready to…
Vocational Prep
For young adults finding their direction, often with parents helping decide. Foundational work readiness, built one habit at a time.
- Work habits and communication
- Résumé, interviewing and job search
- Real practice at PorchLight Roastery
Workforce & Managerial Prep
For professionals returning to their careers and for mid-career rebuilders looking for purpose and a practical next stage.
- Leadership and professional communication
- Project ownership and workplace systems
- Advancement planning and entrepreneurship exposure
Collegiate Prep
For clients planning a return to education, with the structure to make the transition stick.
- Education planning and applications
- Study readiness, scheduling and accountability
- Academic transition support
PorchLight Roastery & Provisions
Purpose needs somewhere to practice.
A Lancaster coffee and provisions brand with a deeper mission: a nonprofit workforce proving ground where eligible participants build reliability, confidence, teamwork, customer-service skills and real workplace experience.
Visit PorchLight Roastery- Housing stability
- Behavioral health
- Recovery support
- Workforce development
- Employment placement
- Community reintegration
For families
Recovery doesn’t happen to one person.
Stay nearby or come for a visit. Participate appropriately. Reconnect intentionally.
For spouses & families
Stay close without hovering.
Visits are arranged with the house team, and with your loved one’s consent you receive regular progress updates. Men and women live in separate homes: The Cheshire Estate and The Derby House.
For parents of young adults
They don’t just need somewhere to get sober. They need somewhere to go next.
For a young adult struggling to launch, stabilization is only the beginning. PorchLight combines structured recovery, clinical care, life skills, education and workforce development to help young adults build independence with direction. See Pathways
Who is supervising them?
Level III supervised homes with house staff, led by our Executive Director and Director of Client Care.
What will they do every day?
Treatment, house meetings, life-skills coaching and Pathways work, with daily check-ins.
How will I know they’re progressing?
With their consent, regular updates on goals tracked with their support team, not just abstinence.
Can they work or attend school?
Yes, when clinically appropriate. Vocational and Collegiate Prep are built for exactly that.
What happens after treatment?
A step down from PHP to IOP, time in the residence, and a plan for work, school or home.
Where will they live?
In a restored historic home, a short walk from the clinical center, Central Market and the park.
Lancaster Historic Homes · Family lodging
Close enough to be part of recovery. Far enough to let it happen.
Can family stay close during recovery?
Yes. Lancaster Historic Homes offers purposeful lodging in the same historic neighborhood, so families can visit, take part in family programming and experience the city their loved one is learning to navigate.
Plan a family stayIn their words
“Great place to recover while being treated with dignity and respect. Beautiful home that’s not overcrowded.”
“A parent’s words about their young adult’s time at PorchLight.”
“The private suite offered the perfect balance. Our loved one could maintain privacy, continue working, and keep a sense of normalcy.”
“A case manager or clinician on referring to PorchLight.”
Straight answers
Sober living in Lancaster, PA: frequently asked questions
Still have a question? Call admissions on 833-799-6500, every day from 9 AM to 5 PM ET.
Can I continue working while at PorchLight?
Yes, when it is clinically appropriate. PorchLight’s Executive Track is built for executives, business owners, attorneys, physicians and other professionals who need to keep working. Laptops and phones are welcome, and there is business-class internet, a business center and private workspaces in the executive suites. IOP can often be scheduled around work; PHP is a daytime commitment, so most people reduce or pause work during that phase.
Are private rooms available?
Yes. PorchLight offers private rooms and executive suites with a private bath, kitchenette and workspace, as well as shared rooms, most of which sleep two.
Can I keep my phone and laptop?
Yes. We encourage technology in the homes and use it for meeting check-ins and communication with staff. During meetings we ask that phones be set aside, to keep the environment focused.
Can family visit?
Yes. Family is part of recovery at PorchLight. Visits are arranged with the house team, and with the resident’s consent families receive regular progress updates.
Can family stay nearby?
Yes. Lancaster Historic Homes offers family lodging in the same historic neighborhood, so loved ones can visit, take part appropriately and reconnect without living inside the recovery environment.
Can you live in sober housing while attending IOP or PHP?
Yes. Residents attend treatment during the day, or in the evening when offered, and return to a supervised Level III residence each night. Today, residents attend IOP or PHP with Lancaster County partner providers, with transport to appointments. From Fall 2026, PorchLight’s own 12-week program opens at 12–14 S. Queen Street, bringing IOP, PHP and structured sober living together.
Who is PorchLight right for?
PorchLight is for adults who are medically stable, usually after detox or residential treatment, and ready for a structured, supervised home while they attend IOP or PHP. It is not the right first step for anyone who needs detox, 24-hour medical care or acute psychiatric stabilization; admissions can help coordinate that care first. PHP is a daytime commitment, so most people reduce or pause work during it; IOP can run in the evening when offered, so work can often continue.
How long do people typically stay?
There is no fixed length of stay. PorchLight recommends an average of six months to build stability, practice skills and set a solid foundation; longer stays give more time to turn those skills into routines.
How much does PorchLight cost?
Rates depend on the residence and the accommodation you choose, from shared rooms to executive suites. Admissions shares current rates and availability personally during a confidential consultation, and financial assistance may be available through PorchLight Gives.
What does Level III supervised sober living mean?
Level III is the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR) standard for supervised residences: staffed homes with structured life-skills programming, house rules, accountability and drug testing. PorchLight is also licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Drug & Alcohol Programs (DDAP).
How do I get to Lancaster from New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore or Washington?
From New York, take direct Amtrak service from Penn Station. Philadelphia also has direct Amtrak service. Washington is rail-connected, Baltimore has easy regional access, and New Jersey is within driving distance. From farther away, fly into Philadelphia (PHL) or Baltimore/Washington (BWI) and PorchLight coordinates your arrival, including door-to-door transport from Lancaster’s Amtrak station.
What is PorchLight Pathways?
PorchLight Pathways is PorchLight’s recovery-to-prosperity program. It helps clients turn stability into direction through three tracks: Vocational Prep, Workforce & Managerial Prep and Collegiate Prep. Each track carries an entrepreneurial, action-based approach.
What happens after treatment?
Treatment addresses what brought you here; Pathways helps decide where you go next. Many clients step down from PHP to IOP while staying in the residence, then build a plan for work, school or a return home, with alumni support once they move on.
Is PorchLight licensed?
Yes. PorchLight Recovery is licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Drug & Alcohol Programs (DDAP), certified as a NARR Level III supervised residence, a member of the Pennsylvania Alliance of Recovery Residences (PARR) and a certified Pennsylvania Recovery Friendly Workplace.
Do you accept insurance for IOP/PHP?
Sober living at PorchLight is private pay. Insurance details for PorchLight’s own IOP and PHP will be published before the programs open in Fall 2026. Admissions can walk you through current options for clinical care.
How quickly can someone be admitted?
Often the same day, when a bed is open and basic eligibility is met. Call admissions on 833-799-6500, every day from 9 AM to 5 PM ET.
Admissions
Begin with a confidential conversation.
You don’t need to know exactly what comes next. Tell us what’s happening, what needs to change, and what can’t be left behind. We’ll help determine whether PorchLight is the right fit, and what the next step should be.
- 01Private call with admissionsEvery day, 9 AM–5 PM ET. Confidential from the first word.
- 02Clinical and residential fitThe right level of care and the right room.
- 03Arrival in LancasterA coordinated arrival by rail, road or air.
- 04A plan for what comes nextPathways: work, school or a return home, with direction.
Every day, 9 AM–5 PM ET · info@porchlightrecovery.com
Confidential inquiry
Takes about a minute. Sent directly to our admissions team.
Thank you.
Your inquiry is with our admissions team.