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 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 […]
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 updates on the SB838 workgroup, which is still deliberating on recommendations — due to the General Assembly by Nov. 1 — to strengthen oversight, transparency […]
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 […]
The SB838 workgroup — tasked with making recommendations to strengthen oversight and transparency in Virginia recovery homes — will hold its second full public meeting from 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, July 29, in the Patrick Henry Building at 1111 E. Broad St. Going forward, I will post the workgroup schedule and links to related […]
Last winter, Melissa saw a notification on her daughter Elizabeth’s email account: a $50 payment from Starfish Recovery. When asked about her involvement with Starfish, Elizabeth divulged that Frank Bellanger — owner and CEO of the Richmond recovery housing company — had been paying her for “content.” At the time, Elizabeth was in and out […]
Virginia’s legislatively mandated recovery housing workgroup held its first two subgroup meetings virtually last week. Each was set to tackle a different set of recommendations related to improving oversight, transparency and resident rights in recovery housing, as delineated in Senate Bill 838, sponsored by state Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg (D-Henrico). The back-to-back meetings included stakeholder presentations […]
The first two subgroup meetings of the SB838 workgroup will be held virtually this Tuesday, June 24. Subgroup 1, focusing on requirements for recovery housing certification, will meet from 1:30 to 3 p.m. From the Event Details page of the Commonwealth Calendar: Subgroup 1: Requirements for Certification will focus on the following parts of the […]
Last Thursday, the Richmond Times-Dispatch published a story with the headline, “State cuts off money to agency supporting halfway homes for recovering addicts.” Reporter Luca Powell wrote: Language in this year’s budget takes nearly $2 million away from the Virginia Association of Recovery Residences, or VARR. The organization certifies group homes, of which there are […]
The Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Resources is getting a head start on convening the legislatively mandated workgroup charged with making recommendations to improve oversight and transparency in Virginia recovery homes. The first meeting, which is open to the public, will be held from 10 a.m. to noon tomorrow, May 29, in […]
*This post contains two updates. Gov. Glenn Youngkin is recommending the General Assembly add language to the recovery housing oversight bill that would allow the state to revoke sober homes’ temporary certifications for “serious health and safety concerns.” Sponsored by Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg, D-Henrico, Senate Bill 838 aims to improve oversight, transparency and resident rights […]
Bagby, now a candidate for Dem party chair, brushes off concerns about his close relationship with VARR.