Rockford shifts gears on sober-living home shut downs. Here's the latest
Rockford is poised to drop condemnation proceedings against sober-living locations operated by Oxford House Inc.
City code enforcement officials had issued notices of intent to condemn the properties after inspecting the supportive living houses for people recovering from alcohol and drug addiction.
After re-inspecting the locations recently, the city is working out an agreement with Oxford House, City Legal Director Nicholas Meyer said.
A city Building Board of Appeals meeting to hear an appeal of the condemnation proceeding was cancelled.
“Following that inspection, the building code official determined that while the properties are not fully compliant with our code, Oxford House had taken steps to address some of the issues cited by the city, so the parties agreed to pause the proceedings on Oxford House’s appeal while the parties continue to negotiate a mutually agreeable resolution,” Meyer said.
City officials previously argued that sober living homes were limited to six residents and that if more than four people were living there, they needed expensive automated fire suppression systems installed. They also claimed to have found evidence of people sleeping in areas of the houses where there weren't proper exits in case of fire.
More: Sober-living organization sues City of Rockford for discrimination
James Thompson, a Rockford lawyer representing Oxford House, did not respond to a request for comment.
Oxford House has filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against Rockford saying the city has discriminated against the sober living facilities under the Fair Housing Act.
The group homes are independently owned and "democratically operated" chapters of Oxford House. They are located at 5383 Pepper Drive, 6274 Brigantine Lane, 1234 National Ave., 5946 Weymouth Drive and 3522 Applewood Lane and 928 N. Main Street.
The locations have been subject to numerous inspections. At one house in 2021, residents were ordered by police to leave their home because they had seven residents living there — one more than the six allowed in Rockford for group homes, the lawsuit says. Six residents were allowed to return to the location.
Jeff Kolkey writes about government, economic development and other issues for the Rockford Register Star. He can be reached at (815) 987-1374, via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on X @jeffkolkey.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford agrees to pause condemnation of Oxford House locations
