The companion bills for recovery housing oversight have passed unanimously in both the House and Senate and crossed over for consideration on the other sides. Senate Bill 270 (sponsored by Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg, D-Henrico) and House Bill 931 (sponsored by Delegate Marcus Simon, D-Fairfax County) followed similar amendment paths and emerged from their respective chambers […]
House Bill 931, introduced by Del. Marcus Simon (D-Fairfax County) as the House companion to Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg’s SB 270, will be heard before the House Health and Human Services Subcommittee on Behavioral Health on Thursday, February 12 at 7:30 a.m. in House Committee Room C-206 of the General Assembly Building. As introduced, the bill […]
Language intended to protect patient choice was significantly altered before Senate Bill 270 was heard Friday in committee. As introduced, the bill explicitly prohibited recovery residences from mandating clinical services as a condition of housing: [State regulations] shall require that no recovery residence, or operator, employee, or agent of a recovery residence, require a resident […]
Senate Bill 270, Virginia’s recovery housing bill, is scheduled to be heard in committee this Friday, Feb. 6. Members of the public are able to weigh in, but productive participation might be complicated by a lack of transparency around last-minute changes. Sponsored by Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg (D-Henrico), the bill addresses oversight and resident rights in […]
Where the recovery housing workgroup’s final recommendations stopped short of protecting patient choice, a new bill seeks to make residents’ rights unmistakably clear. Continuing to lead efforts on Virginia sober home reform, Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg (D-Henrico) has introduced Senate Bill 270, which would require state regulations to prohibit recovery residences from mandating clinical care as […]
What began as a proposal to end sober home operators’ control over residents’ treatment ultimately became language that preserves the existing business model. During workgroup sessions convened earlier this year under Virginia Senate Bill 838, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) introduced draft language addressing what should happen when recovery residences cross […]
At last week’s final meeting of the SB838 recovery housing workgroup, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) announced a draft proposal aimed at stopping sober home operators from dictating their residents’ treatment. First introduced at the final subgroup meeting on Aug. 26, the draft states: Require residences that provide clinical services (ex: […]
Who can sober home residents turn to if they’re being exploited or treated unfairly? Who can family members or neighbors call when they have concerns? For years, the options have been slim. Complaints about uncertified residences had no outlet at all. For certified homes, people could get in touch with one of two nongovernmental credentialing […]
This article contains one update. Will the recovery housing workgroup make any progress toward protecting residents’ rights to choose their own healthcare providers? As with protections from arbitrary evictions, the answer is unclear. This is the fifth in a series of updates on the SB838 workgroup, which is still deliberating on recommendations — due to […]
Will sober home residents gain protection from abrupt, unjust evictions? That remains an open question. This is the fourth in a series of updates on the SB838 workgroup, which is still deliberating on recommendations — due to the General Assembly by Nov. 1 — to strengthen oversight, transparency and resident rights in Virginia’s recovery housing […]
A newly obtained, redacted police report documents a woman’s assault allegation against Frank Bellanger, owner and CEO of Starfish Recovery & Wellness. The report classified the February 2025 incident as a simple assault, but noted the officer responded to a potential sexual assault. This document comes on the heels of extensive reporting on Bellanger, including […]
Draft proposals would establish baseline living conditions for recovery homes and introduce government enforcement for the first time. This is the third in a series of brief updates on the SB838 workgroup, which is still deliberating on recommendations — due to the General Assembly by Nov. 1 — to strengthen oversight, transparency and resident rights […]
Draft proposals for sober home bed fee assistance mark a major pivot from an operator-controlled process to one centered on resident choice. This is the second in a series of brief updates on the SB838 workgroup, which is still deliberating on recommendations — due to the General Assembly by Nov. 1 — to strengthen oversight, […]
The SB838 workgroup is still deliberating on recommendations — due to the General Assembly by Nov. 1 — aimed at strengthening oversight, transparency and resident rights in Virginia’s recovery housing industry. Since my last update, members have held a second round of subgroup meetings and reconvened for a full workgroup session. This is the first […]
Over the past week and a half, someone has launched a significant online sabotage effort targeting this project. As of a few hours ago, this includes an Instagram account impersonating an advocacy page that is run by a member of RVA’s recovery community. These efforts are unfolding in real time, so please be extremely cautious […]