Lawmakers Turn Focus to Recovery Homes in Arizona

Posted by azdrugrehabctr on January 27, 2016 under AZ Drug Rehab News | Comments are off for this article

One of the difficult things to overcome for addiction treatment providers is the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) syndrome, where residents of a particular area become opposed to having rehab centers or recovery homes in their neighborhoods. In most cases, this is discriminatory behavior and the facilities usually get protection from local, state or federal zoning laws.

However, in rare occasions there are housing companies that have group homes for people in recovery and pack them in with little to no supervision. Also called halfway houses or sober living homes, these residences are usually monitored with strict rules in place and are generally very safe and effective at helping people reintegrate back into society.

Given the climate and favorable laws, Arizona has become one area that has had many sober living homes spring up. Arizona state Representative Noel Campbell (R – Prescott) introduced legislation in an attempt to give more jurisdiction to municipalities so they can have better regulation of these residences. It also recommends having registration requirements, minimum square footage per person, fire safety standards and better on-site supervision.

The goal should be to aid the recovery process, not try to prohibit such needed homes from existing.
Any reputable treatment center gladly welcomes these proposed guidelines, as there should be standards put in place for this part of the continuum of care. If passed, this law could help ease concerns of citizens, force compliance of all housing operators and ensure better conditions for people in the recovery community.