After discovering a sober-living home operating in her Scottsdale community, one concerned neighbor decided to circulate a petition asking the city council to seek regulation of such facilities in neighborhoods.
Angela Ashley, a resident of the Buenavante subdivision near Hayden and Cactus roads, said she collected 299 signatures through her online petition and hard copies. She presented her petition to the council at its Aug. 18 meeting, Brittany Hargrave of The Arizona Republic reports.
The council voted unanimously to direct the city manager to study the issue and report back.
Sober-living homes are transitional facilities for people recovering from drug or alcohol addiction, said Shannon Casazza, deputy director of the Arizona Recovery Housing Association (AzRHA). The homes act as a bridge between rehab center or jail environments and offer independent living. They do not provide treatment.
Federal law prohibits cities from creating policies that discriminate against people with disabilities and requires cities to make “reasonable accommodations” for them so they have “equal opportunity to use and enjoy housing,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
