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 […]
Bagby, now a candidate for Dem party chair, brushes off concerns about his close relationship with VARR.
For the last few years, Virginia has been dumping millions of dollars for recovery housing into the hands of a few sober home owners and operators — organized as the Virginia Association of Recovery Residences (VARR) — and relying on them to fairly distribute the money to recovery homes throughout the state. Since January 2023, […]
This article contains one update. Since 2021, the state of Virginia has relied on a group of mostly Metro Richmond-based recovery house owners and operators to fairly distribute millions of taxpayer dollars to recovery house operators throughout the state. Organized as the Virginia Association of Recovery Residences (VARR), that group promised to promote equitable access […]
A DBHDS review confirmed “lack of robust conflict of interest policies and disclosures” and “lack of supporting documentation and monitoring of the expenditures,” among other deficiencies.
VARR leaders funneled large sums of taxpayer money to their own for-profit companies, while smaller organizations struggled to stay afloat.