Michelle L. Cook

I'm proud to announce that the House passed legislation I introduced creating oversight of sober living homes with bipartisan support.

I introduced HB 5741, An Act Concerning Sober Living Homes, in response to concerns that some sober living homes are unsafe and that municipalities have no way of protecting residents from bad actors.

In Torrington alone we have seen a shocking and inexcusable loss of life in sober living homes. Sober living homes can be a great resource for individuals recovering from addiction, but only if they are responsibly run. Right now, there are zero protections.

This is first and foremost a consumer protection bill. Requiring sober living homes to inform residents up front what services they offer and to have Narcan on site will go a long way in keeping individuals recovering from addiction safe and preventing tragic overdose deaths.

Under the legislation, the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) would create a one-page disclosure form that sober living homes must distribute to prospective residents and have residents sign. The form would state that sober living homes are not licensed or certified to provide substance use disorder treatment services and provide information on resources for recovering from a substance use disorder. Beginning August 15, homes would be required to submit the signed disclosure forms to DMHAS.