Credit: State of PA
A recent article by LevittownNow.com reporter Amanda Kuehnle has elicited a response from Gary Tennis, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.
The article focused on legislation aimed at resolving issues impacting the recovery community. The legislation was introduced by Bristol Township-based Democratic State Representative Tina Davis of the 141st district.
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“The Certified Recovery Residence Act, initiated by Davis despite no formal report from the Recovery House Task Force, would create a nine member state board responsible for recovery residences, and enact a voluntary certification program with safeguards and regulations ensuring a safe environment for the residents of the recovery homes and their surrounding community,” Kuehnle’s article reported.
Here’s Tennis’ letter in response to the article:
As your recent article detailing proposed legislation to certify recovery houses indicates, the issue of housing for people recovering from the disease of addiction has become a controversial topic.
Recovery houses, which are intended to be safe and supportive environments where residents in recovery live together as a community, are at the center of the issue. Although many recovery houses operate in the best interest of their residents and the communities in which they are located, others are less scrupulous, exploiting people who have recently left treatment and need a place to live by collecting rent but doing nothing to support their recovery.
Understanding the complexities of the issue and the need for broad, expert stakeholder input while balancing community needs and individual rights, the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP), with support and input from state Reps. Frank Farry, Tina Davis and Gene DiGirolamo, convened the Certified Drug and Alcohol Recovery House (CDARH) Taskforce little more than one year ago. Led by PRO-A, Pennsylvania’s statewide alliance of recovery organizations, the taskforce is charged with developing and submitting recommendations to DDAP on the certification of drug and alcohol recovery houses, taking into consideration related issues such as the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, protection of consumers, legitimate community concerns, discriminatory practices and recovery house owners and operators. The taskforce, which includes representation from law enforcement, treatment providers, recovery housing operators, county and state drug and alcohol agencies, and advocacy and recovery-support groups, is deep into the process of developing standards by which recovery houses may be voluntarily reviewed for certification. The certification process, which would include house inspections, also would require recovery houses to meet organizational, administrative, fiscal management, operational, recovery support, property and good neighbor standards. In addition, confidentiality requirements and ethics codes are being written.
Although the only recourse today for Pennsylvanians concerned about the condition of recovery houses in their communities is to contact their local municipal code enforcement office, the CDARH taskforce is considering a proposal to require certification for recovery houses in order to qualify for state funding or referrals from licensed treatment centers.
The vigorous dialogue among the taskforce members and involved state lawmakers has been ongoing and productive. Laying the groundwork for a process that will affect tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians for years to come must be done smartly and strategically. We are committed to taking great care to develop a sound, well thought out policy that best serves all the members of our communities.
Gary Tennis
Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs
