Recovering Addicts Welcome - The Halfway House Dilemma

In my neighborhood houses sell for an average of $410,000…

In my neighborhood people chain smoke just outside of their front doors or back patios. Occasionally, they wander the streets throughout the day, at times accompanied by a dog or a friend. They blare loud music from their stereos at night when most people are quietly enjoying dinner or putting their kids to bed. They park on the streets, sometimes even blocking driveways.

In my neighborhood, I own the only halfway house and none of those people live with me.

That’s right – a halfway house. This means people who recently made the commitment to dedicate months of their lives to a structured recovery program and got clean from alcohol or drugs live with me. They rent a room at a reasonable rate and the vast majority of them wake up in the morning to punch a time clock at work. Some of them attend classes and are pursuing an education. Others are dedicating additional time to structured recovery programs or volunteering. All of them go to meetings, where they share their experiences and offer support to others. And yet, somehow, the very idea of a halfway house existing in our neighborhood would cause my neighbors heads to spin exorcism style.

Yes, I understand you have kids. Trust me, it was your children I described above – playing loud music in their cars, loitering by the pool, walking the streets with friends or on cell phones and occasionally blocking my driveway. Recovering addicts aren’t a threat to your children – no more so than society at large. I can come up with countless suggestions of places where there is a high probability your kids can buy drugs – and my house isn’t one of them.

I’ve seen signs in the yards just a few streets away from my house – all protesting sober living homes, halfway houses and some denouncing recovery programs in general. Why? Addiction is a disease, but it’s not contagious and you won’t catch it. It won’t spread like fire across your beloved neighborhood and those in recovery living here won’t send your property value plummeting. When I see those signs, I want to talk to the person who placed them there. Let them know that recovery isn’t a stigma that should be shamed but something that should be supported, celebrated and encouraged. The continuation of hatred, prejudice and bigotry simply continues with actions like that.

Personally, I’d rather live with a recovering addict than next door to a bigot. In this neighborhood, I do both.