POORLY RUN RECOVERY HOMES CLOSE

A city plan to regulate facilities for recovering drug and alcohol
addicts will result in the closure of some existing businesses that
"won't meet the standards," according to an Abbotsford city councillor.

Coun. John Smith, one of the main proponents of a proposed bylaw to
have the city regulate supportive recovery houses, believes the new
rules would improve a situation that currently sees the industry
operate without firm guidelines.

All existing and future supportive recovery houses -- which are aimed
at providing a "structured environment" for recovering addicts,
before they are ready to move into independent housing -- will be
impacted by the policy if it is implemented.

Having received initial support from council on Monday, the proposed
policy will now be put to a future public hearing before councillors
make their final decision.

"The thing that is going to govern this is the agreement that these
operators have to sign," said Smith.

"There are going to be some of those operations that presently exist
that are going to close down. They won't meet the standards . . . I
am absolutely positive there are some that aren't operating well."

The proposals dictate that recovery homes operating in single-family
residential zones will be permitted to have a maximum of 10 residents.

They will also be subject to a housing agreement with the city, and
be forced to have a valid city-issued business licence.

No new supportive recovery house will be permitted within 200 metres
of a similar facility or a primary/secondary school.

According to city staff, while existing supportive recovery houses
meet "a need in our community," the current lack of regulation "does
not protect recovery house clients, or the neighbours of poorly run
operations."

Smith hopes the proposed changes would help address that.

"They (poorly run homes) are causing problems in neighbourhoods and
causing a lot of angst, and they are not the kind of places we want
in residential neighbourhoods," he said.

"This is going to bring order to it. If they are causing problems
with neighbours, they run the risk of us pulling their business licence."

All new applications would also be subject to a neighbourhood
consultation meeting.

The meetings would be arranged and organized by city staff, and
include a presentation/fact sheet by the applicant that would be
provided to the neighbourhood.

Meanwhile, existing recovery homes will be provided with an
opportunity to come under city regulation.

The same guidelines would apply to those businesses as to the new
applications, according to city staff, who say that if the new policy
is adopted, there will only be a 30-day period for existing operators
to notify the city of their intention to comply.

According to Coun. Dave Loewen, supportive recovery homes are
"specifically meant for recovering addicts."

And in an attempt to allay the potential fears of people living in
the vicinity of a recovery house, he said there "should not be an
assumption these people are dangerous."

The next scheduled public hearing in which the proposed recovery
house policy could be discussed is on Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. in Matsqui
Centennial Auditorium. The city has not yet confirmed whether the
item will be on that agenda.