‘Sober’ house provider is fi xing issues

The William Brady Organization is obtaining rooming-house licenses and is almost finished fixing code violations for the nine “sober houses” it operates in Columbus for people recovering from addiction, mental illness and other problems.

Last year, Columbus code inspectors discovered that the nonprofit Brady group had been operating the houses for years without rooming-house licenses. The Brady group’s founders have been in the housing business since 2009, but they never checked minimum requirements and safety standards.

Inspectors also found nonworking smoke detectors in some of the houses, and floors without smoke detectors in others, along with other code violations.

In early December, the city issued 30-day orders telling the Brady group that it must obtain the licenses and fix the code violations. Here’s where things stand:

A house at 459 S. Champion Ave. has seven residents, which requires a Columbus City Council variance. If the Brady group lowers the count to five, no variance is needed.

On Jan. 3, the city sent the Brady group roominghouse applications, as well as requests for floor plans and fire extinguisher locations. As of Tuesday, the Brady organization had not submitted anything. The organization said it would do so soon.

Houses at 1353 E. Rich St.; 919 E. Fulton St., 1261, 1287 and 1291 Mooberry St.; and 1429 Kenmore Road now comply with code. Those houses are owned by Kelly Gebert of Westerville.

The other three houses, at 459 S. Champion Ave., 841843 Seymour Ave. and 1571 E. Rich St., will be inspected soon. They are owned by others.

Brady spokesman Norman Whiteside said two residents were supposed to move out of 459 S. Champion this week. As far as the roominghouse licenses, it’s just a matter of filling out the paperwork.

“We’re not going to sweep anything under the rug,” Whiteside said.

The Brady organization also is considering buying more houses for homeless veterans, Whiteside said. However, Brady co-founder Karen Carlisle said that is “way down the road.”

With the state’s addiction crisis, the demand for recovery housing is increasing. Behavioralhealth advocates worry that many operators aren’t adhering to standards. The Brady organization has not described its program as rooming houses or exclusively as recovery or “sober” houses.

Columbus city code defines rooming houses as dwellings other than hotels and motels, but where rooms are rented to three or more people. City records show 210 licenses. Officials are concerned that others are operating without their knowledge.

The city learned that the Brady group hadn’t obtained rooming-house licenses after receiving a complaint on Sept. 14.