For some reason it seems like our local government is frequently at odds with the entrepreneurs who operate recovery homes for substance abusers in recovery. It's happened before and it appears to be coming back to life.
For example, in 1998 the City of Mesa passed ordinances that would clamp down on halfway houses. Since we had several locations downtown we were right at the center of the target.
One ordinance was that before one could open a halfway house they would have to appear for a public hearing at city hall to obtain approval, a process that involved public input, Of course we all know how those kinds of hearings turn out. No wants recovering people in their neighborhood. I've been at those hearings and I saw one woman break down and cry hystercally at the possibility that a house might be occupied by a group of substance abusers.
The second ordinance was to not allow halfway houses to be located in the so-called "Downtown Overlay," an area covering Country Club to Mesa Drive and University to Broadway. Halfway Houses were perceived as bad for business.
The third ordinance was to require halfway houses to be located 1200 feet apart.- something I never did understand.
In any case TLC wasn't about to go anywhere. So we filed a lawsuit in 1998 and went into Federal Court and obtained an injunction against the City of Mesa to prevent them from acting on the ordinances until they worked their way through the courts. Five years later, we negotiated a settlement in Federal Court that left the distance requirment standing and awarded us $40,000 of our legal costs.
I don't have a good feeling about the prospect of a new lawsuit. But I believe another one is on the horizon. And of course TLC will be in the fight because we've been helping addicts and alcoholics change their lives for 30 years.
And we're going to continue to fight those who don't care whether we get sober or not.
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