The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Sober house oversight bill clears House
TORRINGTON » In recent years, men and women have overdosed and died while staying in Torrington sober homes — a series of facilities run, in part, beyond the reach of governmental oversight.
But HB 5741, a bill that addresses this apparent regulatory gap and requires providing those considering staying in such homes with information on the realities of the facilities, was approved by the House of Representatives on June 3, according to state Rep. Michelle Cook, D-Torrington.
The bill would require potential residents of sober homes to review and sign a form stating that
“sober living homes are not licensed or certified to provide substance use disorder treatment services,” according to a release from Cook. Potential residents would also receive information from those homes on “resources for recovering from a substance use disorder.”
These signed forms would then be passed on to the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, according to Cook.
If someone staying in the home were “diagnosed with opioid use disorder,” according to Cook, sober homes would also be required to keep Narcan or another opioid antidote on site.
There are at least 50 sober homes in Torrington, and likely more, according to those in the field, Mayor Elinor Carbone said.
At this time, there is no legal difference between renting a room in a private home, she said, and renting one in a sober home.
Sober homes now have effectively no legal requirement to provide medical services, Carbone said.
“Everybody who’s advertising a recovery residence ... there has to be a certain amount of truth in advertising,” said Carbone.
Without appropriate resources, Carbone believes sober homes can be “exploitative” of people in need.
“It’s a fragile population that is seeking all forms (of support),” said Carbone.
Carbone said the city typically identifies sober homes in response to overdose deaths.
Torrington police responded to four suspected overdoses, including three deaths, in early January.
The fatal overdoses took place at 33 Prospect St. — listed online as the address of Key Recovery Communities — and two South Main Street locations, according to previous reports.
State Rep. Jay Case, RWinsted, and state Rep. Brian Ohler, R-North Canaan, noted in February release that “(three) people have died in Torrington within the walls of a sober home as a result of an overdose” since Jan. 1.
A man who identified himself as the owner of Key Recovery Communities Tuesday, but declined to give his name, said the organization supported the legislation and has worked with Cook, Carbone and Case in the past.
“We definitely think the homes should have regulations,” said the man. “It keeps everybody honest.”
Key Recovery homes, he said, have kept Narcan on site for more than a year, following “unfortunate incidents,” and residents are also tested for substance use.
In its “about us” statement at keyrecoveryhomes.com, the organization states: “The success of our community here at Key Recovery Homes is due to our combination of community building and new habitforming structure. In between the treatment program and the self-reliant sober house lies the transitional design of Key Recovery Homes. Our guests are given enough independence to practice their recovery skills within a ‘real world’ environment while receiving the support they need to sustain their new sobriety.”
The company provides its residents with a “structured community” that provides a transition from treatment to independent living, according to the website.
Cook said the bill would also create a legal definition for sober homes as “a residence with an operator that provides, or offers to provide, a supportive environment for adults who are recovering from a substance use disorder” — which differentiates them from inpatient facilities providing medical services.
The bill has been changed since it was initially put forward by Cook.