The valley of the sun has seen a recent spike in sober living homes. However, the increased number of homes are causing some issues with surprised neighbors, forcing them to take action.
Currently, there is no way to tell or know for sure if a sober living or recovery home is in your neighborhood or plans to come to your area. This is because there is no database that keeps track of these homes. Furthermore, this means that there is also no one regulating these home.
Why a spike in sober living and recovery homes? It is reported that heroin and other drugs are becoming easier to find and are now cheaper. Many people need treatment after they become addicted and these homes are a source for it, but since some group homes are not regulated, the sober living residents get taken advantage of. Often times, these homes will take the money of the residents, but not make them adhere to any rules. So in the end, they are actually not getting the help they need to get on the road to recovery.
Since no one is really in charge of overseeing or managing these homes, neighbors in these areas have been looking for ways to change that. A group of residents came together and was able to get the Phoenix City Council to pass new regulations on sober living and recovery homes. These regulations include a $1,500 licensing fee for homes and spacing rules, meaning that these homes cannot be too close to each other, occupying the same area. There is no official list of homes, so enforcing these new regulations could be a challenge. However, the Arizona Recovery Housing Association has stepped up and is trying to regulate a handful of sober living and recovery homes.
Source: ABC 15
