The drive from Northridge to Sunshine Sober Living covers about five miles and takes thirteen to twenty minutes in normal traffic. From Nordhoff Street, head south on Reseda Boulevard to Burbank Boulevard, turn west, then go north on Donna Avenue to 5650 Donna Avenue in Tarzana. Phone 866-216-9789 before setting out.
This is one of the simplest drives in the San Fernando Valley: one road, straight south, no freeway. Reseda Boulevard runs from the edge of the university down to Burbank Boulevard, and the only turns come in the last two minutes. Allow twenty minutes in afternoon traffic.
Directions from Northridge to Sunshine Sober Living are short enough to memorize, but tell the office roughly when to expect you on a first visit. Somebody will watch for the car, which saves checking house numbers from the sidewalk. The number is 866-216-9789, and the office details are worth saving first.
Reseda Boulevard runs in one straight line from the CSUN campus to within two turns of the front door, so the trip needs no freeway at all.
Start at Nordhoff Street and Reseda Boulevard, beside California State University Northridge. Head south on Reseda Boulevard for roughly four and a half miles, crossing Roscoe Boulevard, Sherman Way, Vanowen Street, Victory Boulevard and Oxnard Street. At Burbank Boulevard turn west, then north on Donna Avenue; the house is number 5650, sitting between Wilbur Avenue and Vanalden Avenue.
No, and that surprises people. Northridge is the only West Valley area with two freeways on its own edges, but both run away from Tarzana. SR-118, the Ronald Reagan Freeway, lines the north with exits at Tampa Avenue and Reseda Boulevard; I-405 runs along the east with exits at Nordhoff Street and Roscoe Boulevard. Surface streets win here, unlike most routes from elsewhere in the Valley.
Metro Line 240 runs Reseda Boulevard and Ventura Boulevard, the direct bus from Northridge toward Tarzana and the option most residents without a car use. Lines 242 and 243 cover Tampa Avenue and Winnetka Avenue. No G Line station sits inside Northridge; the nearest are Nordhoff and Reseda. Northridge Metrolink Station on Wilbur Avenue handles arrivals from out of town, and the 240 carries on through Reseda itself.
Donna Avenue is a quiet residential street north of Burbank Boulevard, two blocks from Tarzana Recreation Center. Park on the street and read the signs for street-cleaning days, the restriction that catches most visitors out. The house looks like its neighbors, deliberately. Residents are men and women, so the men’s house and women’s recovery housing are described separately.
Photo identification, current medication in its original labeled packaging, and discharge paperwork if you are coming from a treatment program. Bring insurance details too; the verification form and the intake paperwork can be filled in beforehand. Write your questions down, because most people forget half of them at the door. The national helpline on 1-800-662-HELP is free, confidential and staffed around the clock.
The run from Northridge to Sunshine Sober Living breaks into four legs, one long and three short.
| Leg | Road | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nordhoff Street to Reseda Boulevard | Start beside the CSUN campus and turn south |
| 2 | Reseda Boulevard south, about 4.5 miles | Crosses Roscoe, Sherman Way, Vanowen, Victory and Oxnard |
| 3 | West on Burbank Boulevard | A short hop; stay in the right-hand lanes |
| 4 | North on Donna Avenue | 5650 Donna Avenue, between Wilbur and Vanalden |
The whole run is on surface streets, about five miles door to door.
From Nordhoff Street at Reseda Boulevard, head straight south on Reseda Boulevard for roughly four and a half miles – crossing Roscoe Boulevard, Sherman Way, Vanowen Street, Victory Boulevard and Oxnard Street – to Burbank Boulevard, then west on Burbank Boulevard and north on Donna Avenue. The freeways both run away from Tarzana, so Reseda Boulevard straight down is the standard route. That is about 5 miles, roughly 13-20 minutes in normal traffic.
Sunshine Sober LivingBudget twenty minutes rather than thirteen. Reseda Boulevard carries heavy traffic through the late afternoon, especially at Sherman Way and Victory Boulevard, and school traffic slows the northern stretch each morning. Outside those windows the run is quick, and with no freeway merges the delays stay predictable.
Street parking is available on Donna Avenue and the blocks around it. Check the posted signs for street-cleaning restrictions, which differ by side of the street. This is a suburban neighborhood two blocks from Tarzana Recreation Center rather than a commercial district, so spaces are usually easy to find.
Yes. Metro Line 240 travels the length of Reseda Boulevard and then along Ventura Boulevard, which puts it within a short walk of the house. Allow more time than the drive takes. Residents ride the same line in reverse for classes and shifts back up in Northridge.
Bring identification, paperwork from any treatment program, insurance information and a written list of questions. If a relative is moving in the same day, packed clothing and prescribed medication in labeled containers should come too. Phone ahead with a rough arrival time and allow an hour for the visit.
This is a recovery residence, not a treatment facility. Detox, residential rehabilitation and intensive outpatient care are delivered by licensed providers, and Sunshine can make the introduction where a higher level of care is the right call. No program can promise a particular result, and we will not suggest otherwise. 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 are the easy part. If you are making this drive because somebody you love is leaving treatment and needs a substance-free place to land, call 866-216-9789 and talk it through first. Reading what to do when a relative finishes rehab and how sober living works in Northridge helps too.