For several years, my reporting on Richmond’s recovery housing industry has repeatedly brought me back to Starfish Recovery & Wellness. I’ve reported on allegations of sexual misconduct, bullying, treatment coercion, threats, retaliation and unsafe living conditions, among other issues. As Virginia has taken steps in recent years to strengthen oversight of recovery housing, Starfish owners […]
For the last four years, I’ve worked to bring you in-depth reporting on Richmond’s recovery housing industry — an area that has received little sustained coverage from other media. This project began as something I built and maintained without funding because I believed the industry deserved closer scrutiny. There were important questions to explore about […]
Raymond “Rocky” Meadows helped build a system that was supposed to bring accountability to West Virginia’s recovery housing industry. As a sober home operator and founding member of the West Virginia Alliance of Recovery Residences (WVARR) — the state’s affiliate of the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR) — Meadows helped advance legislation that led […]
The State Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services has released draft regulations governing recovery residences, as required by this year’s recovery housing law. The draft is open for public comment through September 25, giving the public an opportunity to weigh in before the proposed rules enter Virginia’s formal regulatory process. The SB270/HB931 Recovery Residences […]
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 […]
In March, I published a story about a Starfish resident charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing his housemate 13 times with a kitchen knife. One month later, the victim filed a $20 million lawsuit against Starfish Recovery & Wellness in Richmond Circuit Court. I previously reported that the accused assailant had pending assault and […]
At approximately 10:45 p.m. on Dec. 11, 2025, 19-year-old Jose Martinez allegedly stabbed one of his housemates 13 times with a kitchen knife at a Richmond recovery residence run by Starfish Recovery & Wellness. The victim suffered a punctured lung along with multiple other stab wounds, and required surgery to repair his diaphragm, according to […]
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 […]