The trip from Encino to Sunshine Sober Living at 5650 Donna Avenue, Tarzana, runs about three to four miles and takes nine to sixteen minutes in normal traffic. Drive west on Ventura Boulevard, north on Reseda Boulevard, west on Burbank Boulevard, then north on Donna Avenue.
Donna Avenue is a quiet residential block north of Burbank Boulevard, between Wilbur Avenue and Vanalden Avenue, two blocks from Tarzana Recreation Center. From the middle of Encino it is a short, flat run west along the floor of the San Fernando Valley.
This page covers the journey itself. For the program waiting at the other end, sober living in Encino explains how the house works, and the directions index holds routes from other Valley neighborhoods in the area. Visits happen by appointment through the admissions office.
From the Encino Town Center at 17200 Ventura Boulevard it is three to four miles and nine to sixteen minutes to the house, with one turn each onto Reseda Boulevard, Burbank Boulevard and Donna Avenue.
Directions to Sunshine Sober Living from Encino come down to three turns. From the Encino Town Center, 17200 Ventura Boulevard, head west on Ventura Boulevard into Tarzana, past the Encino-Tarzana Branch Library at 18231 Ventura Boulevard. Turn right onto Reseda Boulevard, north about a mile, left onto Burbank Boulevard, then right onto Donna Avenue.
From Balboa Boulevard or White Oak Avenue the freeway can win. Join US-101 heading west and stay on it to Exit 23, Reseda Boulevard, the standard approach to this part of Tarzana. Go north to Burbank Boulevard, west a few blocks, then north on Donna Avenue. Off-peak that saves a few minutes.
The street sits in a flat grid of single-story ranch houses on generous lots, with mature trees and wide curbs. Parking is curbside, so read any posted restriction before walking away from the car. Burbank Boulevard is the cross street worth giving a rideshare driver when a phone map loses the final turn.
Metro Line 240 links the Ventura Boulevard strip to Reseda Boulevard and passes closest to the house, Line 150 terminates in Encino, and Lines 235 and 236 serve Balboa Boulevard. The G Line stops at Balboa station, two miles north across the Sepulveda Basin. A bus-served address is part of what makes recovery housing near Encino workable.
Bring a photo ID, discharge paperwork or a contact at the treating facility, a current medication list and any insurance card, since benefits can be checked through the verification page before a move-in date is set. Bring written questions too. Paperwork moves faster when the new client intake form is completed ahead of the visit.
Ask about the program that fits the person moving in. The men’s house and women’s recovery housing run separate peer groups on a shared structure. SAMHSA names home as one of four dimensions of recovery, alongside health, purpose and community, which is the plainest argument for settling the address early rather than late.
Three ways to make the trip.
| Route | Distance | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| Ventura Boulevard west, Reseda Boulevard north | About 3 to 4 miles | 9 to 16 minutes |
| US-101 west to Exit 23, Reseda Boulevard | About 3 to 4 miles | 9 to 16 minutes off-peak |
| Metro Line 240 along Ventura and Reseda | One bus, no transfer | Allow extra time |
Both driving routes finish west on Burbank Boulevard, then north on Donna Avenue.
From central Encino at Ventura Boulevard and the Encino Town Center, head west on Ventura Boulevard into Tarzana, north on Reseda Boulevard, west on Burbank Boulevard, then north on Donna Avenue. The freeway alternative is US-101 west from Balboa Boulevard or White Oak Avenue to Exit 23 (Reseda Boulevard), then north to Burbank Boulevard. That is about 3 to 4 miles, roughly 9-16 minutes in normal traffic.
Sunshine Sober LivingLeave earlier than the nine-to-sixteen-minute estimate suggests, since that figure describes normal traffic rather than a weekday morning. The Ventura Boulevard surface route usually keeps moving when US-101 slows. Anyone running late for a scheduled visit can call 866-216-9789 from the road.
The address is 5650 Donna Avenue, Tarzana, CA 91356, just north of Burbank Boulevard between Wilbur Avenue and Vanalden Avenue. The phone number is 866-216-9789, email reaches the office at info@sunshinesoberliving.com, and the fax line is 747-204-4067. Tarzana Recreation Center makes a dependable navigation target.
Encino Hospital Medical Center stands at 16237 Ventura Boulevard, on the strip the surface route follows out of Encino. Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center sits at 18321 Clark Street, roughly three miles west and nearer to Donna Avenue. Neither is affiliated with Sunshine Sober Living.
Yes. Tours and confidential assessments are scheduled in advance so a visit does not disrupt the people already living in the house. Wendy Goldberg arranges the time. While a family decides, the free national helpline at 1-800-662-HELP runs around the clock in English and Spanish.
What we run is recovery housing: a substance-free address with rules, accountability and peer support. Clinical treatment belongs with licensed providers, and admissions can arrange that referral. Nobody, including us, can guarantee how any individual recovery will go. If you or someone you love needs immediate help, the SAMHSA National Helpline is free and confidential on 1-800-662-4357, 24 hours a day.
Directions to Sunshine Sober Living from Encino are simple enough to memorize after one trip, and the door is easier to walk through than most people expect. People stepping down from residential care often begin with structured transitional living. The admissions office can schedule a confidential assessment this week. Call 866-216-9789.