[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 172 (Friday, October 19, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1423-E1424]
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

                        Friday, October 19, 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 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 
fifth group of these constituent letters:

       Thank you for bringing our issues with Sober Living Homes 
     (SLH) in our neighborhoods to congress. Here is the nightmare 
     my husband, two young sons and I have endured over the past 
     1.5 years.
       We live in downtown Huntington Beach that had been known 
     for our lovely beaches and quaint surf culture community, now 
     we are called Rehab Riviera. My nightmare began in April 
     2017, when the owner of the house across the street from me 
     opted turn down $3800 in rent per month to dozens of families 
     wanting to rent it and instead he sold out the neighborhood 
     for $9000 a month in rent to a business, [REDACTED]. 
     [REDACTED] was started by two addicts, [NAME] and [NAME] 1 
     year and 4 months out of a recovery. They have no special 
     training, they are not licensed by the State of California, 
     DHHS does not regulate their business and they especially do 
     not have hand-picked doctors, per their website, taking care 
     of the young lives at [ADDRESS]. On February 24, 2018, a 
     handsome, sweet young man, [NAME], overdosed, in the care of 
     [REDACTED], at [ADDRESS]. His body laid in his bed for over 8 
     hours before it was discovered. Then his fluid-soaked 
     mattress laid on the sidewalk between the home and the wall 
     separating the houses for 2 weeks before it was finally 
     disposed of properly. On March 13, 2018 [NAME] co-owner of 
     [REDACTED] overdosed at his home in Fountain Valley. 
     According to the reports, [NAME] was apparently facing 
     pressure on several fronts. Last year, a text exchange 
     between [NAME]'s business partner, [NAME], and an addict, 
     went public in that forum, laying bare an increasingly-common 
     scam: Addicts demanding to be paid to get surgical implants 
     of opioid-blocking drugs. The idea is that the addicts know 
     rehab operators and doctors can bill insurance companies 
     thousands of dollars per procedure.
       I shared the above so you have an idea of the type of so-
     called Sober Living Home I am dealing with. A business opened 
     by two addicts just to make money while they scam the system 
     and allow young men to die and overdose (survive) in their 
     care. After [NAME] overdose at the unlicensed home I was sure 
     that someone on a state or federal level would have shut them 
     down but nothing happened. The house manager, known as [NAME] 
     (no idea what his real name is) has allowed 2 more young men 
     to overdose under his care but luckily both survived. When we 
     asked [NAME] about them he stated they were kicked out of the 
     house and if you have spent any time in Southern California 
     lately, that just means there are now 2 more homeless addicts 
     on the streets. All the clients at [REDACTED] have been flown 
     here from other parts of the country and a few of them have 
     told me that it was a one-way ticket and if they want to go 
     home they have to do it with their own funds. They also tell 
     me they get money whenever they bring in another client into 
     the house. . . .
       In addition to the above the neighbors and I have endured 
     the following: drug deals going down on our street. The 
     clients getting blow jobs while sitting in their cars parked 
     in front of our homes. Constant foul language coming from the 
     clients and their ``friends'' who come to visit. Young men 
     wearing their pants down to their knees, ghetto music (music 
     that is loud and contains profanity) blaring from their cars 
     and out of the house. At times there are 14 cars on our block 
     from the 7 clients and their 7 girlfriends so we cannot park 
     in front of our homes. I have two young boys and I am 
     constantly bringing in groceries or lugging out sports bags, 
     so having to walk a block away to get to and from my car. 
     Trash in the street and in the alley. Hypodermic needles have 
     been found, one of them in the neighbor's backyard. The 
     neighbors to the south of [REDACTED] are elderly and they 
     can't have their grandkids come over and play outside anymore 
     in fear of a hypodermic needle impaling itself into their 
     little bodies when it comes flying over the wall between the 
     homes.
       In addition, the clients toss their cigarette butts over 
     the fence into the same neighbor's back yard. The same 
     neighbors can no longer leave their windows open to get fresh 
     air since they are constantly bombarded with cigarette smoke.
       Countless fighting going on in the house that has resulted 
     in countless police visits. Intimidation from the clients. 
     There have been many occasions when I am outside in front of 
     my home and one of the clients will stand across the street, 
     drawing on his cigarette, with his pants down to his knees, 
     staring me down and glaring at my every move. My kids use to 
     skateboard in front of our house, or toss the football, but 
     now they don't want to be out there. We felt compelled to put 
     up cameras, keep our doors shut and our window curtains 
     drawn.
       Increase in petty thefts. If we mistakenly leave our cars 
     unlocked the content is stolen during the night. I watched 
     two addicts (not from [REDACTED]) walking down the alley a 
     few months ago tugging on every door handle they passed. Then 
     they attempted to break into a shed on a neighbor's property 
     while I had run home to get my phone and call the police.
       When we (the neighbors) have complained to [NAME] he tells 
     us to stop talking to his clients, they are grown men and 
     there is nothing he can do about the issues. His big solution 
     is to kick them out after they overdose, if they are lucky 
     enough to survive. So, I don't understand how [REDACTED] can 
     run a scam business in my neighborhood. I live a residential 
     zoned neighborhood not in a business zone. How can they stay 
     in operations when the state knows they are unlicensed, their 
     website was criminally misleading, and they are allowing 
     young men to OD and die in their ``care''?
       I grew up in poverty, crawled my way out of it by going to 
     college on Pell grants (thank you government for giving me a 
     hand up, not a hand out), worked very hard to be able to buy 
     my mother a home and then myself one in 1995. I have lived 
     here for 23 years and before April 2017 it has been a quiet, 
     peaceful neighborhood with thoughtful and kind neighbors. Now 
     the SLH has greatly reduced the quality of life my family and 
     I had once enjoyed in our home. We are no longer comfortable 
     in our home, nor on our street. On August 13, 2018 we found 
     out that a recently purchased home (at [ADDRESS]) 3 doors 
     down from [ADDRESS] is also going to be a sober living home. 
     We have two side-by-side in the [REDACTED] block of 
     California street. Two more in the [REDACTED] block of 
     Huntington street (one street over) and countless more 
     throughout the neighborhood. We understand that a recovery 
     center is building their headquarters in downtown HB. 
     Seriously? Do you know how expensive real estate is in 
     Southern California, and these guys can afford to build a 
     high-rise headquarters 3 blocks from the ocean and a stone 
     throw away from two blocks of bars. This is not about helping 
     these addicts find recovery, this is about money, lots of 
     money! They want to bring them here to this environment, so 
     they stayed hooked on the drugs and they can continue to scam 
     the America tax payers!
                                                  Catherine Young,
                                     Huntington Beach, California.
                                  ____
                                  
       A Sober Living Facility has moved in next door to my house 
     one and a half years ago. It has probably lowered the value 
     of my house at least $100,000 because no one wants to move in 
     next to a facility like this. I live in Huntington Beach 
     because of the cool coastal breezes and now I have to close 
     my windows because they are constantly smoking in the back 
     yard. There are often cigarette stubs on the curb and trash 
     around the house. One girl overdosed there last year so the 
     fire stations and the police were there. These sober living 
     facilities should be closer to downtown and not in the 
     middle of family neighborhood. We don't let our children 
     play as much outside because we never know who may be 
     coming and going from that house.
                                                      Karen Pesko,
     Huntington Beach, California.
                                  ____

       I see that they have changed the name from Halfway Houses 
     to Sober Living Homes.
       I am against having these homes in residential areas. The 
     people in these homes are either alcoholics or drug addicts. 
     If they go ``off the rails'' they could potentially be a 
     danger to innocent people. Let's take, for example, a 
     recovering alcoholic living in a residential area. One day 
     he/she gets upset and can't stop from drinking. He or she 
     gets into their car drunk, in the residential neighborhood, 
     and drives. In the drunken state, they have the potential to 
     kill, adults and children. I'm sure your argument will be 
     that drugs and alcohol are not allowed in the residences, but 
     where there is a will there is a way! That won't stop them.

[[Page E1424]]

       My solution for the halfway house situation is for the 
     addiction centers that currently treat these individuals to 
     also build housing within the zoned business area where they 
     are located.
                                                      Linda Hicks,
     Huntington Beach, California.
                                  ____

       The presence of unregulated Sober Living Homes in our city 
     has negatively impacted our residential communities. These 
     unregulated businesses recruit and attract addicts requiring 
     professional treatment for their issues and have no 
     accountability for adequately providing necessary care for 
     their clients. Residential areas, such as my neighborhood in 
     Huntington Beach, are overrun with multiple such ``homes'' 
     that bring additional crime, traffic, noise and nuisance to 
     our peaceful communities. One of my neighbors, whom lives 
     next door to a SLH, has reported active drug dealing on the 
     front lawn of the house, in the presence of his minor 
     children. These SLH are businesses profiting from loopholes 
     in government oversight regulations that have robbed our 
     communities and our citizens of our peace, in our own homes. 
     Law abiding citizens and neighbors living in our residential 
     communities should not have to co-exist and tolerate 
     ``businesses'' that are operating under the radar of the law, 
     in our own homes. Business should be located in areas zoned 
     for business operations, not in residential neighborhoods. 
     Please restore the peace and tranquility of our communities 
     by eliminating SLH from our residential communities.
                                                    Kristine Koch,
     Huntington Beach, California.
                                  ____

       Dear Congressman Rohrabacher, my family and I have seen the 
     negative impact from influx of unlicensed sober living homes 
     in our neighborhood. Common effects are loitering transients, 
     public intoxication, public drug use and littering of used 
     paraphernalia, prostitution, petty theft including stealing 
     of packages on doorsteps, breaking into cars and at times 
     residents homes.
       I have been a resident of Orange County, California since 
     1979 and a resident of Costa Mesa since 1999. I can say 
     firsthand the deterioration of Costa Mesa is evident the past 
     19 years. As a father three children and homeowner I strongly 
     encourage action by our government to resolve and/or prevent 
     of unlicensed sober living homes in our city and county. If 
     this does not occur, then I like other similar families will 
     look to relocate and raise our children in a safer, crimeless 
     environment.
                                                     Graham Shute,
     Costa Mesa, California.
                                  ____

       There is Sober Living home that opened on my street. I 
     don't know why they're pretending to be a sober living home 
     because they've already found a bag of heroin not far from 
     the house. This house is located two doors down from a public 
     middle school. Hundreds of kids walked by the house and or 
     are dropped off in front of this house daily. This such 
     facility has no business in a family community. Neighbors 
     complain that there has been strange people coming in and out 
     of the house. Two of those strange people were knocking on 
     resident doors and even jumped the fence and went into one of 
     their backyards and walked into their house when they were 
     being chased by the police. I believe sober living homes have 
     no business in residential neighborhoods because they are 
     bringing down the quality of life and safety for the 
     residences around them.
                                                     Gina Walters,
     Huntington Beach, California.
                                  ____

       We have lived in our current residence on [REDACTED] for 
     the past 16 years. It has been an outstanding neighborhood to 
     live in and raise our 3 children. Unfortunately, our peaceful 
     little neighborhood has experienced a drastic change in 
     recent months with the unwelcome addition of a sober living 
     house right down the street. Since the arrival of the 
     occupants, we have experienced a few notable incidents with 
     the most recent being a few individuals that apparently were 
     doing drugs around the corner and were quickly pursued by the 
     Huntington Beach Police Department. This led to the 
     individuals fleeing through multiple backyards and actually 
     entering a residence in an attempt to hide from the police. 
     The individuals were caught on video at one of our neighbor's 
     houses which showed them moving around the perimeter of the 
     residence as they were attempting to hide from the 
     authorities. During that evening, the residents right next 
     door to the sober living house were holding a sleepover for 8 
     young girls in their backyard. This is a little too close for 
     comfort. In addition, there is a middle school located less 
     than 100 yards from the sober living home and is in the 
     direct foot travel path of children walking home from school. 
     It is our understanding that the transient nature of these 
     sober living houses will introduce new residents every 8 
     weeks. This means a whole new set of problems will rotate 
     through every 2 months. For the safety of our children, the 
     children at our local schools, and the safety of our own 
     properties I am requesting action to be taken to place 
     stricter oversight on the introduction of sober living houses 
     allowed in residential neighborhoods and if possible limit 
     the number of them being implemented. We have a serious 
     problem here in California with criminals being released 
     early due to budget reductions being placed on our 
     correctional facilities and the good tax paying citizens of 
     this state have to deal with that fallout. We need effective 
     changes that protect our neighborhoods and our kids.
                                                    Steve Treskes,
     Huntington Beach, California.
                                  ____

       I grew up in a State Legislator's home, growing up as a 
     Wolcott (Raymond Oliver Wolcott was my Grandfather, John B. 
     Wolcott, his son, raised me). I had a decent upbringing. 
     Later in life, I was ill prepared for my daughter's death 
     from S.I.D.S. or crib death. She was 4.5 months old. My 
     drinking and marijuana usage escalated to a point where I 
     simply could not contain it. Mercifully, I discovered 
     sobriety. So did the mother of our daughter. We were told by 
     numerous doctors that getting pregnant again was improbable 
     (as she had three living kids and previous problematic 
     pregnancies before I met her) yet imagine our surprise to the 
     birth of fraternal twin girls. No in vitro or otherwise 
     modern birth science, just a sobriety miracle in our eyes. My 
     twins are 19 and currently they're enrolled at a junior 
     college in the Texas A&M School System. I am very certain 
     sobriety and sober living assisted them in their development. 
     Although I am divorced and have had three relapses, I also 
     have had twenty two years of sober time in my life.
       I have a brief attached for a ``Christian-sober living'' 
     that may appear rather convoluted, however its main 
     highlights are: have events scheduled to keep residents away 
     from the home (so as to minimize riffraff from visitors), 
     cash and carry instead of billable to insurance (No cash on 
     site method of payment), and a giving back mentality with 
     nurses or doctors that are on call with on staff managers and 
     graduates who need their hours tallied before accreditation. 
     Thank You.
                                                     Deder Barnes,
     Huntington Beach, California.

                          ____________________