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The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
Governor Bill Lee signed legislation on Wednesday that creates a pilot program in Hamilton County regarding recovery houses and that also grandfathers in existing sober living group homes that are already less than a 1,000 feet from facilities where children are present.
The legislation, originally aimed at keeping recovery houses farther away from Tennessee children, was watered down during the legislative process to create the pilot program meant to “strengthen the accountability of sober living homes.”
However, the program is completely permissive to local government meaning they do not have to act on the legislation unless they want to, and it must pass a two-thirds vote before taking effect.
Last year, the Tennessee Conservative reported on issues with a communal house for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts which is run by offenders with no oversight by the Tennessee Department of Corrections or any other public agency.
The house, found located near an elementary school in Hamilton County was the impetus for the bill after a parent whose child witnessed a dangerous incident in front of the home reached out to House sponsor Greg Martin (R-Hamilton County-District 26) to run the legislation.
Martin referred to this particular “sober living home” in his statements on the House floor in April, saying he believed it to be just two houses away from Hixson Elementary School.
Instead of protecting the children in the community, the legislation allows the house to continue operating in the residential neighborhood of Chase Meadows, home to over fifty families in Hamilton County. Residents will continue to fear for the safety of their children following the last year’s shooting which occurred just minutes after children walked by the house on their way to school.
Owned by the non-profit organization Oxford House, the Chase Meadows recovery house is just one of twenty-nine such houses in Hamilton County alone. According to their website, the non-profit lists one hundred seventy-three houses in total, located in ten different counties in Tennessee.
The Chattanooga Police Department have received frequent emergency calls regarding drug and larceny activity at the Chase Meadows house, as well as psychiatric emergency calls. In 2023, law enforcement responded to a “dead on arrival” call due to a fatality resulting from a Fentanyl, Meth, and Cocaine overdose.
Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp, who responded to the concerns of residents in the past, said, “While I certainly understand the value of our local rehabilitation facilities, it is my strong opinion that halfway houses that house criminal defendants should not be able to operate in residential neighborhoods and certainly not near elementary schools.”
In addition, Wamp requested the property/deed/tax information from the registrars office, and found that the property, while zoned for a single family residence, is clearly not being used in this fashion.
When first introduced, the legislation which took effect with the stroke of Lee’s pen, required that recovery houses be located “at a distance of not less than a 1,000 feet from a K-12 educational facility, preschool, or daycare facility” and be regulated by the local government.
The new law does three things.
1. Requires that sober living homes within 1,000 feet of schools or daycares to follow best practices of organizations listed in TCA § 33-2-1401.
2. Requires that these homes follow applicable health, safety, and building codes.
3. Could also require that residents receive a referral or recommendation from a licensed health care provider.
In order to expand the pilot across the state, another bill in a future legislative session will have to go before the Tennessee General Assembly for approval.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
