Updated August 2025
Origins and Evolution
In March 2022, I caught wind of community chatter about a small Metro Richmond nonprofit — the Virginia Association of Recovery Residences (VARR) — that had just received millions for addiction recovery and raised questions about where that money was flowing.
Curious to find out what was happening, I filed a few record requests with the state agency that funds VARR. From there, things snowballed.
What began as a simple inquiry into government spending soon evolved into a sprawling investigation of the recovery housing industry — a world where money and power collide with people fighting for their lives against addiction.
When I launched this site in December 2022, I had planned an eight-part series on the VARR leaders and organizations highlighted in the Introduction. The first three installments followed that plan, but as new information emerged, the scope broadened to include other recovery organizations that warranted attention.
What I’ve found — amid Medicaid expansions, surging grant dollars and a lack of oversight — is a breeding ground for exploitation in recovery housing, concentrated in organizations where profit takes precedence over care.
To date, this project has examined forced treatment, potential Medicaid fraud, self-dealing of grant funds, operator drug use and its impact on residents, alleged sexual misconduct, silencing tactics, retaliation and other abuses of power — with more still to come.
When I started publishing in 2022, I hoped to provide the community with insight into the industry while also offering a resource for legislators, advocates and others who could drive constructive change. Since 2024, I’ve also had the privilege of reporting on significant efforts underway to bring transparency, accountability and resident protections to the industry.
Today, this project continues to evolve and is far from finished. I remain committed to exposing abuses of power within the industry while also highlighting progress and solutions.
If you have experience with recovery housing or insights into the challenges facing this field, I encourage you to get in touch.
Independence and transparency
- I research, write and edit every story myself. While I have a journalism mentor and copy-editing assistance, I retain editorial control and assume full responsibility for all content published on the site. I also follow a corrections policy to ensure transparency.
- Recently, false claims have circulated online suggesting that this project is privately funded or influenced by outside interests. That is not true. This is an independently operated, volunteer project. I do not receive payment from private entities and have no financial ties to anyone or anything I cover.
- Early on, a personal friend — who is not affiliated with any recovery or treatment organization — contributed $550 toward two large FOIA requests, before I had published any findings.
- In 2024, I received a $50 gift card from Virginia Commonwealth University for an interview in which I shared information from my reporting; this helped guide their research and in no way influenced my coverage.
- If this project ever receives funding or financial support in the future, I will clearly disclose it.
September 2025 update: I registered Investigate RVA, LLC as a business entity in Virginia to help sustain this project over the long term. I plan to explore optional paid subscriber support while keeping all reporting freely accessible and fully independent. I’ll continue to share any relevant updates as they arise.
Behind the byline
- I live in the Dumbarton area with my husband and a plant he’s somehow kept alive since college.
- I work in private investigations and formerly volunteered for Henrico CASA and WRIR Richmond Independent Radio.
- Things I love (besides investigating abuses of power): being an aunt and learning sports that accommodate my poor hand-eye coordination – snowboarding, wake surfing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
- Fun fact: I used to get around on a Kawasaki Ninja, but it’s now retired as a backyard collectible.
- LinkedIn: Christa Motley
Your feedback and engagement are what keep this project alive. Please feel free to connect anytime.
Scroll below to view investigative stories in The Parham Papers series, or visit the homepage to explore all articles, including legislative updates.
Incredible work. As a member of the Richmond recovery community I have been moved by your compassion for our fellows and impressed by your fluency with the nuances of recovery concepts. I have been interested for some time in the disconnect between the actual rank and file of our community and the self-appointed experts who make livings as advocates, sometimes speaking on our behalf wrongly about what people in recovery or struggling with addiction want or need. Your work puts a whole new spin on this for me and really gets me thinking on another level. Also, I have known some of the people your reporting has covered and hope that they will choose to tell their sides in time. Life is complicated and I do believe there’s good in there for some of them. Finally — have you thought of producing a podcast? I feel your series would be a perfect fit for one.
Hi Christa,
A friend told me about your reporting. Thank you for your excellent work. People like you keep truth and justice alive. More importantly, by exposing the self-interest of advocates in the field, you are helping to protect a highly vulnerable population in our communities from being re-exploited. Keep up the good work. I will follow your work closely and look forward to reading more.