(C) Daily Montanan This story was originally published by Daily Montanan and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Recovering addicts, former inmates oppose restrictions on 'recovery residences' – Daily Montanan [1] ['Keila Szpaller', 'More From Author', '- January'] Date: 2023-01-10 Recovering addicts and former prisoners told legislators Tuesday an attempt to regulate “recovery residences” would only backfire — but supporters of Senate Bill 94 said they want to ensure safe housing for residents and communities. “Recovery residences” are sober living homes where residents work on staying clean together. Some people make the decision on their own to live in those homes, but some people do so because they are in transition from prison and have a rental voucher from the Department of Corrections. In a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Barry Usher, R-Billings, said the homes are not regulated — and cities and counties can’t regulate them because people with a disability are a protected class. But he said there are some homes that are problematic. As such, Usher said the bill would require the homes to receive a certification from a nationally recognized nonprofit organization and create a registry of such residences. “They are asking for and begging for regulation and sideboards,” said Usher, the sponsor. The bill would require the homes to set standards for emergencies such as fires and protocols for evictions. It would mandate anti-overdose drugs be kept on site. It also would require residents on probation or parole who receive a rental voucher from the Department of Corrections to notify a probation or parole officer within 24 hours if they move out. But the right avenue for oversight was a sticking point. In support of the bill, Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito said the number of recovery residences has increased dramatically in his area, and the community embraced the idea. But he said community members also started raising concerns about why they had 15 or 16 people living in one small house next door — or why 13 people were sharing a 900 square-foot basement. “We realized there weren’t a lot of sideboards,” Twito said. Cynthia Wolken, deputy director for the Montana Department of Corrections, said the most important time for inmates leaving prison is the first few months, and she said people in rural areas in particular use sober living homes. “We really want to ensure that our voucher money is being spent on housing that is appropriate and safe and will give somebody the best shot of success on supervision,” Wolken said. However, many people who have been residents of a sober living home pleaded with lawmakers to refrain from imposing regulations on a population that notoriously bucks authority — and from lumping all the homes under the same umbrella. Andy Hauser said he has been in and out of prison all his life, and living in a sober house helped him. But he rebels against rules, and the bill would put more stresses on people like him, who then turn back to drugs. “These rules are going to be overwhelming,” Hauser said. Stacey Anderson, with the Montana Primary Care Association, said her organization supports regulation of recovery residences in general, but that it would reluctantly oppose the bill as drafted. However, Anderson said it was a good start, and she proposed some changes based on the situation in Montana and the needs of residents. The homes are about housing and support for recovery, she said – not treatment. “The gold standard for treatment is a licensed facility in the state of Montana, and those are already licensed by DPHHS,” Anderson said of the Department of Public Health and Human Services. A state health department administrator said the agency does not want to take on licensure or certification for those residences; rather, it prefers to work through the Montana affiliate of a national organization with expertise. Usher said he believes the Health Department’s approach adds an unnecessary step. However, he said he has been willing to talk with the agency and is willing to look at some amendments. He also said he believes there’s some misunderstandings among opponents about the severity of regulations proposed in the bill. As Usher sees it, the bill will not turn the residences into corrections-style facilities at all, as opponents fear, but it will ensure they have basic safety measures in place, such as fire extinguishers. [END] --- [1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2023/01/10/recovering-addicts-former-inmates-oppose-restrictions-on-recovery-residences/ Published and (C) by Daily Montanan Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/montanan/