Manipulating the System

When I first got into the the recovery business in 1992, there were less than half a dozen halfway houses in the city of Mesa.

And there were also two or three large treatment programs, both residential and outpatient.

As time went on, though, halfway houses began springing up all over.  Someone got the idea that operating a halfway house was a good way to make money fast.  But the majority of them started closing within a few months or years, because a halfway house or sober house is also labor-intensive.  It's not an easy business unless one is dedicated to helping others get clean and sober.  There are  much easier careers that aren't nearly as emotionally draining.

In the past few years though, there have been many new residential treatment programs being opened in the Valley.  In fact, there were so many popping up that it was hard to keep track of how many there really were.

One program I heard of had something like 100 LLCs, each containing a small one house recovery program.  One story circulated was that the owners and operators were from a country in Africa and that none of them were in recovery or educated about recovery.  However, they apparently were shrewd business people who knew how to manipulate a system. The last I heard that was that they'd made quite a bit of money by just housing people to whom they were not providing services. They reportedly left the country once their business started unraveling after their insurance providers and the state learned of their practices.

Not too many things anger me, though I can become irritated at small things, like computer problems for example.  But I do become angry when unscrupulous operators take advantage of people in recovery who are unable to help themselves.  That's what many operators have done and are doing, though the insurance companies and state government are beginning to take notice of these practices and are beginning to take action.

TLC is one of easiest and least expensive programs to get into.  And it has operated pretty much the same way for over 30 years.  And I believe our success comes from the fact that we accept anyone into the program, whether they have money or not.  Also, 99% of our staff are themselves in recovery, which gives them credibility with our clients.

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