Goodyear tackles sober living homes crisis as neighbor complaints grow

Goodyear has joined a long list of cities trying to grapple with the state's sober living home crisis.

Most of the problem, involving the warehousing of people seeking rehab for alcohol or drug addiction in private, mostly unlicensed homes, has been centered in the East Valley. Until now.

This week, Goodyear's City Council met behind closed doors to discuss sober living homes, days after one of the city's police officers testified at the Legislature that the West Valley suburb has seen its number skyrocket in one year.

Goodyear police officer Scott Daniel told lawmakers earlier this month he had never heard of sober living homes in 2019. But in the next year, he testified, the city saw the number shoot up from three to 23.

The 23-year veteran said police found out about them, as they have in Mesa and other cities, after responding to residents' complaints about disruption.

He appeared before front of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, which considered Senate Bill 1361. If enacted, it would place new restrictions on unlicensed sober living homes. Daniel spoke in support of the bill, saying that noncompliant sober living homes are becoming an increasing concern.

Police responded to calls ranging from burglary to sexual assault to overdoses, Daniel said. Mesa police have responded to several reports of dead bodies at these homes. And because sober living homes are kept confidential under state law, Daniel said, it's often difficult to access treatment plans for patients.

Much of the state's focus has been on alleged fraud at the hands of licensed therapy companies. State prosecutors have alleged in court that more than three dozen people and companies fraudulently posed as addiction counseling services, bilking the state Medicaid program out of $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion for services never provided. They targeted Native Americans who needed help. Some were kidnapped off the streets from the Four Corners area.

The state has suspended payment to nearly 300 licensed providers.

But on the streets of Goodyear and around the Valley, the problem is being felt not in fake clinics, but in small, unlicensed homes for the duped patients.

Daniel said he's come across people living at the homes passed out in neighbors' yards. Oftentimes, no one running the home is present. And if there is someone present, Daniel said, it's often someone who is unqualified and is relying on the police in case something goes wrong.

The City Council took up the issue on Monday.

While councilmembers can't get into detail about what specifically is discussed during executive session, Councilmember Sheri Lauritano said the city was examining its options to find a solution. People are often abandoned, so the city is looking to make sure the neighborhoods remain safe and clean, she said, adding that police officers have been keeping track of the homes in the city.

Councilmember Bill Stipp said the city has been examining solutions for several years, with Daniel having been at the forefront. And there's only so much that the cities can do, meaning stricter regulations from the state is necessary, Stipp said.

Goodyear will also be looking at what other cities are doing in order to find a solution, Stipp said.

Reach the reporter at ahardle@gannett.com or by phone at 480-259-8545. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @AlexandraHardle.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Sober living homes skyrocket in Goodyear as complaints grow