A HOUSE IS NOT A HOME –
Jan. 25, 2021 – Department officials said earlier this month that they were completing an internal review of draft regulations and planned to send them to the Attorney General’s Office by the end of January but couldn’t commit to a timeline for when licensing and oversight would begin.
“I’m saddened by that because the longer it takes to set that up, the more individuals could pass away in these unstructured recovery homes,” said Amber Longhitano, a former council member in Bristol Township, Bucks County, who pushed state lawmakers to create oversight for recovery homes. Beyond the delay, there’s a more fundamental problem with the oversight effort: It’s voluntary, though there are incentives.
Homes that receive or want to receive state or federal money, as well as those seeking referrals from state agencies and state-funded facilities, will have to follow the licensing rules. And judges will have to first consider a licensed home when approving housing for people under court supervision.
