By Parker Leavitt | The Arizona Republic
A lucrative, mostly underground industry in which rental-home owners turn their properties into refuges for recovering substance abusers needs improved regulation and oversight in many Valley communities, some sober-house operators say.
Several metro Phoenix communities either turn a blind eye to the booming industry or have overly strict rules for the houses to operate legally, and many businesses choose to operate in the shadows, the owners say.
“Pretty much all of it’s being operated beneath the radar,” said Gilbert resident Bill Wilson, a commercial pilot who operated sober houses for five years. “Everyone’s jumping on board, and it’s getting a little scary.”
Sober-living houses, similar to halfway houses, can accomplish much good for their residents, who often have just been released from a rehab center or jail and have nowhere else to go, Wilson said.
The group homes provide a transitional place where residents can forge new relationships, become more responsible and work toward independence. They live in groups of 10 or 15, on a temporary basis, and are subject to strict house rules.
