Drunk Legislators?

I received a warning letter from the State of Arizona the other day saying that we needed to apply for a state license to operate a sober living home.  And after reading it, I started to wonder if the legislators who crafted Arizona's so-called sober housing statute might not be drinking or using drugs on the job.  

Just so you'll understand what I'm talking about, one of the requirements to get a license is that each of our houses must have a "good neighbor policy."  Now, for the life of me, I have no idea what that is.  Or how I would let the neighbors know that I'm a good neighbor.

Do I present them with a flyer that describes who we are and what we do?  Do I knock on the door of the house next door, and give them a flyer that describes that we're a group of recovering addicts and alcoholics who are trying to get clean and sober?  And let them know how we're going to behave?

Do I tell them we're not going to pee in their yard, play loud music, sell drugs to their kids, drive over 25 miles an hour past their house, or have a curfew for our resident?  I mean this list could go on-and-on I do believe.

I don't even know what a neighborhood is.  Is it the houses within one block?  Two blocks?  A mile?

This one requirement to get a license is one of several requirements that are equally laughable.

But the  reality is that this requirement, in fact the whole statute, is discriminatory on it's face. Are you aware of any other businesses in your community that have a "good neighbor" policy?  A bar?  A restaurant? A hospital?  A nursing home?  I've never heard of this kind of requirement.

Because of this bias against people who are trying to help themselves, our lawyers are busy drafting the legal paperwork to protect us from this egregious example of discrimination against handicapped people who are simply trying to better their lives.

The Fair Housing Act, The Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Rehabilitation Act were enacted to protect disabled people from discrimination.  

So, once again, we're going to be in court spending money that could be used to help addicts get clean and sober.  And believe me, we're in this battle for the long haul.

Click here to email John