[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 167 (Tuesday, October 9, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1383-E1385]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           CONSTITUENT COMMENTS ON SOBER LIVING HOME PROBLEMS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. DANA ROHRABACHER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 9, 2018

  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, I rise again regarding the hearing held 
by the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice on 
September 28, 2018 on the issue of sober living homes. At that hearing, 
I had the privilege of testifying at that hearing in support of my 
bill, H.R. 5724, to restore local oversight over sober living homes. As 
part of my testimony, I submitted to the Subcommittee letters from many 
of my constituents about problems with sober living homes caused by 
current federal law preventing appropriate local oversight. For the 
benefit of my colleagues and the American people, I include in the 
Record the second group of these constituent letters:

       In mid-February the home next door was sold to a LLC. The 
     home was converted to a sober living home. I do not know how 
     many men live at the facility but notice that new men are 
     coming and going all day. There are different cars parked 
     weekly. I hope none of these men have criminal backgrounds. 
     Have cut down going outside the home. Stopped the evening 
     walk. Have an ADT security system and installed motion lights 
     all around the home.
       Initially they smoked cigarettes in the backyard and we 
     lost all use of our backyard. On constant complaining to 
     [REDACTED] they moved the smoking to the other side of the 
     home. It did not help much as now they had begun to smoke e-
     cigarettes and vaping also. The smell in our home is 
     terrible. We use Hepa filter air purifiers in the home. Keep 
     half the home windows closed. Our home has become more of a 
     prison. My husband and I have chronic multiple health issues. 
     The smoke and e cigarette pollutants cause me to have a 
     constant cough, irritated nose, burning eyes and sometimes 
     headaches. I wear a N99 pollution mask all day in the home. I 
     daily leave the home for a few hours to take the mask off. I 
     also try to spend a night or two outside the home. When the 
     symptoms get further aggravated I get checked by my 
     Physician. I last visited him on August 31, 2018. It affects 
     me more than my husband.
       These homes are built for single family use and not for 
     group smoking and vaping. Our family room and sober living 
     home family room is 10 feet apart. My husband and I are 
     covered under the ADA, we are covered but not the facility 
     and medical personnel we use. The addict should be covered 
     under the ADA but why are the owners and medical personnel 
     covered also.
       A few years back every residential neighborhood in 
     Huntington Beach had a park and school. Today every 
     residential neighborhood has a few sober living home/detox 
     facilities. Schools are closing, and many parks are unsafe 
     for children.
                                                      Joti Ghuman,
                                     Huntington Beach, California.
                                  ____
                                  
       Since having a sober living home open nearly behind my 
     home, the quality of life in this neighborhood has 
     deteriorated greatly. What has been a quiet neighborhood 
     where people feel safe to live their lives, raise their 
     children, and go about their daily lives in a secure 
     environment has changed. Now I need to be certain every night 
     that every door and window in my home is locked and secure. 
     We had an incident in which drug users from the sober living 
     home ran from the police through not only my but several 
     neighbor's yards, with police searching through those yards 
     at 2 am, with the suspects attempting to enter at least one 
     home in the attempt to evade police. Many neighbors speak of 
     seeing people committing suspicious activities in on the 
     grounds of the local school, which is approximately three 
     homes away from the sober living home. Many neighbors are so 
     anxious about the deterioration of the neighborhood that they 
     are selling their homes, with many others discussing doing so 
     as well. We need more oversight as to who manages these 
     homes, as I understand, the one in my neighborhood is managed 
     by an individual with multiple felonies. This is insane, and 
     regulations need to be implemented. Thank you for reading my 
     issues.
                                                   Edward Skelton,
                                     Huntington Beach, California.
                                  ____
                                  
       I live a few houses away from a sober living home where 
     drug use has gone on there. Even worse someone from there 
     entered another person's home on our block in the middle of 
     the night. It saddens me that there is not much regulation 
     regarding these homes and they can just open anywhere. We 
     have families with little kids in the area and a school down 
     the street from us. These homes need to be regulated and 
     their clients properly cared for. There should be proof that 
     patients are benefiting from these homes before we spend all 
     this money to make owners of them rich, while everyone 
     suffers including the community.
                                                   Gina MacDonald,
                                     Huntington Beach, California.
                                  ____
                                  
       We live in a town house in Aliso Viejo, California. Our 
     walls are connected to other homes on both sides. In 2015/
     2016 one of our neighbors moved out and turned her home into 
     a sober living home. For almost 2 years we lived in constant 
     fear of the revolving door of people going in and out of that 
     house.
       During that time, we (and our neighbors) had to call the 
     Orange County Sheriff's Department because of numerous 
     violent fights, at all hours of the night. My girlfriend 
     witnessed an individual who seemed to have overdosed in front 
     of our garage. There were numerous fights, strange chemical 
     smells coming out of the house, sheriffs and other emergency 
     vehicles constantly next door. Residents would wander the 
     neighborhood and at hours of the day and just stand outside 
     our home, looking right into our windows. We had to lock our 
     doors, close the blinds and request that they smoke down the 
     street. We are still worried that methamphetamine was 
     possibly being cooked and was the source of the chemical 
     smells coming from inside the home. Again, we share a wall 
     and we worry about possible long-term risks of exposure.
       At one time, the boyfriend of one of the residents was 
     wanted by the United States Marine Corps. The home owner 
     stopped by our home and provided me the investigators

[[Page E1384]]

     phone number. We had strict instructions to call her if we 
     ever saw him at the house. Why are we responsible for this?
       Two separate nights, someone from this house tried to walk 
     into our house. Luckily our front door was locked, and they 
     just slammed into the door.
       In late 2016, one of the residents passed away inside the 
     home.
       The home is still some kind of a ``facility'' for people 
     with problems but we have not had the problems that occurred 
     in 2015-2016. The current residents are nice but due to the 
     constant change of occupants, we still live in fear that 
     something could happen at any time. It's been almost 4 years 
     of hell and I think it is unacceptable that the state allows 
     someone to open a place like this, with little to no 
     restrictions and the neighborhood has no rights or protection 
     against this from happening.
       No family should live in fear due to someone else's greed. 
     We talked to the city, HOA and Sheriff's department multiple 
     times and all said that there was nothing they could do to 
     help. They wanted to help but said the state says this is ok. 
     Although we understand that people need help, but our safety 
     and peace of mind should not be sacrificed. That is our story 
     and can back it up with emails to our HOA every time an 
     incident happened.
                                                   Albert Francis,
                                          Aliso Viejo, California.
                                  ____
                                  
       My name is Virginia Mccoy, mother of four children, wife of 
     a police officer, and a positive role model in my community 
     in Huntington Beach, CA.
       I live across the street from our public middle school, and 
     directly diagonal to a new sober living house. Unfortunately, 
     the house is not sober, and is impeding on the safety and 
     happiness in our neighborhood. Drugs, alcohol, speeding, and 
     the lack of respect to neighbors has truly put a stain on our 
     once wonderful family neighborhood.
       I am no longer comfortable letting my 14-year-old daughter 
     ride her bike in the neighborhood, walk our family dog, or 
     walk to her friend's home down the street. Just today, 
     September 5, 2018, was the first day of school, witnessed 
     many parents drop their child off right in front of this 
     ``Sober Living House.'' The fact that parents have no idea 
     that just a couple weeks ago the occupants along with others 
     were smoking heroine, were chased by police, broke into a 
     neighbor's home, and were never caught, is truly terrifying.
       I urge and plead for firm regulation and stricter laws to 
     combat fraudulent sober living homes, protect our 
     neighborhoods, and protect children in school neighborhoods.
                                                   Virginia Mccoy,
                                     Huntington Beach, California.
                                  ____
                                  
       There are two SLHs in our neighborhood in Huntington Beach 
     near [ADDRESS]. One of these is our neighboring house that 
     was occupied earlier this year. Our neighbor of forty years 
     died, and her children sold the home.
       Since the SLH has been occupied we have been impacted by 
     constant cigarette smoke and vape vapor. Our incessant 
     complaints to the owner's manager have mitigated the smoked 
     vapors to the point where it is less frequently noted. This 
     has not however reduced our health impacts. My wife has 
     constant complaint of itching eyes and irritated throat. She 
     has now been coughing for over two months with some bouts 
     that are persistent over many minutes. During a doctor visit 
     last week she was advised to reduce in-house irritants.
       My allergies have been exasperated since the SLH facility 
     has moved in. Incidents of running nose and coughing have 
     increased and I now have daily bouts of sneezing.
       After having lived in our house for over forty years we are 
     now confronting a situation where our neighbors are impacting 
     our health making it impossible to peacefully enjoy our home. 
     The occupants of the SLH are transient who have shown no 
     interest in any involvement in the neighborhood. We do not 
     know who the occupants are, or many people live there.
       We hope you are able to use our experience in providing 
     input to any congressional hearing on the subject.
                                                     Opjit Ghuman,
                                     Huntington Beach, California.
                                  ____
                                  
       I have lived in my home since 1966. With two different 4-
     year breaks. My husband, Marc, and I have lived here 
     continuously since March of 1988. I was raised in this home 
     and we have raised our two daughters here, also. We have a 
     lovely neighborhood and fantastic neighbors. Most of whom 
     have also lived here for more than a decade. I have been very 
     involved with [REDACTED] school as a volunteer in various 
     capacities including PTSA President.
       In recent months it has come to our attention that 
     [ADDRESS] is no longer a family home. It is now a DETOX 
     CENTER. How do I know? Diligent research by myself and other 
     neighbors.
       Drug Incident: The research began in depth after very 
     disturbing events in the early morning hours of Friday, 
     August 24, 2018 approximately 1:40 am at [ADDRESS]. The same 
     early morning, the Huntington Beach Police were summoned to 
     the sidewalk next to [ADDRESS] after another neighbor 
     witnessed drugs being cooked and shot-up. The suspects 
     scattered, and two males ran into the side yard of [ADDRESS] 
     and hopped backyards between the homes on [ADDRESS]. Camera 
     surveillance is available from the backyard of [ADDRESS] and 
     front door of [ADDRESS]. There was a backpack abandoned on 
     the side walk next to [ADDRESS] that contained a significant 
     amount of drugs. Camera footage available from [ADDRESS]. 
     HBPD Case No. [REDACTED].
       Pit Bull Incident: Monday August 27, 2018 my neighbor 
     [NAME] was prevented from exiting her car in her driveway at 
     [ADDRESS] because of a barking pit bull on her property. She 
     pulled into my driveway and into my home to ask me to whom 
     the pit bull belonged. I told her it belonged to [ADDRESS]. 
     We proceeded to call Animal Control after witnessing the dog 
     roam across the street and down to the corner, barking the 
     entire time at anyone it saw. I have video of the Pit bull 
     charging into the street towards me while I am near my front 
     door. When Officer [NAME] from Animal Control arrived, the 
     dog continued to bark and began growling repeatedly. Officer 
     [NAME] told me that this dog was in violation of Cade 41-51 
     Protection From Animals and was a misdemeanor offense. I have 
     copies available of the neighbor statements regarding 
     violation [REDACTED].
       Research: Research has revealed that the house at [ADDRESS] 
     is now owned by [NAME] is listed as principle. [NAME] 
     purchased this house on [ADDRESS].
       Resident of the home (believed to be a House Manager) is 
     [NAME]. [NAME] has an extensive criminal past including 
     multiple drug charges, multiple DUis and was most recently 
     imprisoned for securities fraud. [NAME] is currently on 
     parole. How do we know that? His parole officer knocked on 
     the incorrect door and demanded to speak with [NAME}. [NAME] 
     said that she did not know [NAME]. The PO eventually realized 
     her mistake and knocked at [ADDRESS]. No one answered. [NAME] 
     is the owner of the pit bull reported to animal control. 
     [NAME]'s codefendant in the securities fraud case [REDACTED], 
     has been at [ADDRESS] at least three times.
       THIS DETOX HOUSE HAS AFFECTED MY FAMILY IN THE FOLLOWING 
     WAYS:
       I CAN NO LONGER SLEEP WITH MY WINDOWS OPEN.
       I CAN NO LONGER ALLOW MY GRANDNIECE AND GRANDNEPHEW TO WALK 
     TO AND FROM THEIR HOME TO MINE (3 HOUSES) WITHOUT DIRECT 
     SUPERVISION.
       I AM CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR ANYTHING THAT IS UNFAMILIAR IN 
     MY NEIGHBORHOOD.
       I WORRY ABOUT MY NEIGHBORS.
       I WORRY ABOUT THE SCHOOL CHILDREN THAT WALK TO [REDACTED] 
     SCHOOL ON MY STREET EVERY MORNING AND AFTERNOON.
       I CANNOT SLEEP SOUNDLY.
       I HAVE INSTALLED SECURITY CAMERAS.
       I DO NOT FEEL SAFE.
       Please allow our local government to have jurisdiction in 
     MY neighborhood. HBPD has yet to gather video evidence from 
     any neighbors regarding the drug charge. There is no 
     detective assigned to the case at present time.

                                                   Janet Cardenas,
                                     Huntington Beach, California.
                                  ____
                                  
       I wanted to share my opinion on the sober living homes. I 
     have lived in Costa Mesa for many years. The city has gone 
     through a major transformation due largely to the sober 
     living homes. There are young adults that now live on our 
     streets because they were ``bought'' from out of state, went 
     to a sober living home, and then kicked to the street when 
     the money ran out. They have no method to get home and mostly 
     return to drugs while they live on the streets. I saw a young 
     female crying sitting with her suitcase. Apparently, her time 
     was done at the sober living home, they would not help her 
     return home (out of state) and the people she was with robbed 
     her of her money and other possessions. We gave her the info 
     for Costa Mesa Homeless Network solutions. I live across the 
     street from a sober living home. The company was able to buy 
     a $925k home and the people that run it drive Audis, Jaguars, 
     and of course, there is the $80k Mercedes that shows up. 
     There are cars everywhere around this sober living home in 
     our neighborhood, there are often young males sitting in cars 
     in our neighborhood (sometimes for hours), and there are kids 
     smoking everywhere. I am appalled that this has continued to 
     exist. We are essentially allowing human trafficking to pay 
     these broker fees to feed enough people into their ``sober 
     living home factory''. They are supposed to help the tenants 
     return home, where they may have a support system. However, 
     that would cost them money; their only business is to make 
     money. I would ask a change in the law to state you must be a 
     resident of California for 12 months to enter a sober living 
     home here and there may be no exchange of ``broker'' fees to 
     buy bodies for their homes. We need to clean up our 
     neighborhoods. Crime has skyrocketed in our neighborhood. Our 
     mail is stolen, packages are stolen, cars are broken into, 
     and our homes are being broken into. We need to enact these 
     new requirements and the state must regulate them. They must 
     send in inspectors to make sure these homes are free of 
     drugs, the tenants are from California for the last 12 
     months, and that there was no money exchanged to find these 
     people. We have been essentially wasting tax money to make 
     our city less safe.

                                                    Erin Blancett,
                                           Costa Mesa, California.

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