Written by Christa Motley

DBHDS recovery housing workgroup to hold first meeting Aug. 24

A recovery housing workgroup that first convened last year will resume meeting this month under legislation passed during the 2026 General Assembly. 

The Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) will host the first public meeting of the SB270/HB931 Recovery Residences Workgroup virtually from 1 to 3 p.m. Monday, Aug. 24.

A new phase in a years-long process

The initial workgroup convened under SB838 in 2025 spent months examining questions involving oversight, transparency and resident rights in Virginia’s recovery housing sector.

Review >> 2025 reporting on the SB838 Recovery Residences Workgroup

The workgroup’s recommendations informed legislation passed during the 2026 General Assembly session. The new law, carried by Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg (D-Henrico) and Del. Marcus Simon (D-Fairfax County), established several reforms, which include: 

  • Reduced conflicts of interest: Credentialing entities are prohibited from accrediting recovery homes “owned or operated by an individual who is employed by or in a position of authority at such credentialing entity.” 
  • More certification options: A process will be established for operators to bypass third-party credentialing entities, such as the Virginia Association of Recovery Residences (VARR), and obtain certification directly from DBHDS.
  • Prohibition on some NDAs: Regulations will prohibit nondisclosure agreements that interfere with complaint-reporting or investigations.
  • A ban on coercion for economic benefit: Recovery residences may not require residents to participate in clinical services from which the residence receives financial gain. (This is a narrower restriction than that in the bill’s original language, which prohibited operators from dictating any clinical treatment.)
  • Increased DBHDS oversight: Regulations will establish processes for reporting and investigating complaints, issuing sanctions and implementing corrective action plans for recovery residences.
  • Expanded data reporting: DBHDS will develop a system to expand data reporting requirements for recovery residences and make certain data available to the public.
  • Limited referrals: State agencies and courts referring or releasing individuals to recovery homes are limited to certified residences.  
  • A prohibition on cannabis use in recovery residences: This measure faced opposition from the region’s only known cannabis recovery house and has been a source of ongoing contention. 

The law also directed DBHDS to continue examining recovery housing oversight by re-convening the workgroup created under SB838. The group is required to meet at least twice per year and submit annual recommendations to the General Assembly for the next five years.

The workgroup is expected to continue exploring the topics it addressed last year:

  • certification criteria;
  • resident choice in treatment, namely: “protocols to ensure resident and patient choice in receiving treatment and that the recovery residence operator, the house manager, or anyone in leadership with the recovery residence is not determining the treatment received”;
  • a Residents’ Bill of Rights;
  • standards and training requirements for recovery residence operators and house managers;
  • protocols for terminating residency;
  • procedures for complaint-reporting and investigations, including the establishment of a hotline;
  • sanctions and decertification;
  • data collection and public reporting; and
  • safety, fire, building and health inspections.

Several significant issues the workgroup was originally charged with addressing either stalled during its meetings or were weakened during the legislative process, including: 

The renewed workgroup will provide an opportunity to revisit those issues and for the public to provide input.

VanValkenburg told me in February that the effort would be a multi-year process. “We’ll be coming back to [the legislation] for years to fine-tune, to add on, to get it right,” he said.

Although DBHDS is still finalizing the membership roster, the department provided a preliminary list of individuals who have been invited to participate. Most also served on last year’s workgroup.

>>Click to view a dropdown list of prospective workgroup members
  • Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg
  • Paul Stevens, Oxford House
  • Debbie Robinson, Oxford House
  • Bob deTriquet, Virginia Association of Recovery Residences (VARR)
  • Matthew Conner, VARR
  • Honesty Liller, McShin
  • Tony Isom, Virginia Specialty Facilities for Acadia Healthcare
  • Karen O’Brien, CARITAS
  • Benjamin Carr, CARITAS
  • Michael Tillem, Journey House Foundation
  • Nicole Riley, Treatment and Recovery Allies
  • Charles Wilcox, Virginia Association of Addiction Professionals (VAAP)
  • Chrissy Chow, VAAP
  • Anika Richburg, SAARA of Virginia
  • Michael Sizemore, SAARA of Virginia
  • Wesley Russ, Virginia Municipal League
  • Jody Rogish, Henrico County Supervisor
  • Bailey Hilliard, Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office
  • Stacey Lawson, Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board
  • Mike Schnurman, Henrico County government
  • Michael Feinmel, Henrico County government
  • Tiffany Wells, Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS)
  • Tiffany George, DMAS
  • Nicole Gore, DBHDS
  • Dev Nair, DBHDS
  • Candace Roney, DBHDS
  • Patricia Brown, DBHDS

How to watch and participate

The first meeting of the SB270/HB931 Recovery Residences Workgroup will be held virtually from 1 to 3 p.m. Monday, Aug. 24. The meeting will be open to the public and will include a public-comment period.

Access information will be posted before the meeting on the Commonwealth Calendar.

I will continue following the workgroup and Virginia’s evolving recovery housing landscape. Please subscribe to stay informed. 

<Previous: Stabbing victim files $20 million lawsuit against Starfish Recovery & Wellness

Scroll below to view investigative stories in The Parham Papers series, or visit the homepage to explore all articles, including legislative updates.

Leave a Reply