We, the undersigned residents and concerned citizens, respectfully request that our state and federal representatives work together to address the growing concerns surrounding the operation and oversight of sober-living facilities within our communities.

We recognize the importance of recovery housing and support responsible programs that provide safe, structured and effective environments for individuals working to overcome substance-use disorders. Quality sober-living facilities can play an important role in helping individuals rebuild their lives and successfully return to their families and communities.

However, the lack of adequate oversight, transparency and local accountability has become a major concern for residents, local officials and public-safety agencies. In many cases, local governments are limited in their ability to determine where these facilities are operating, how many individuals are residing in them and whether they are complying with reasonable health, safety, occupancy, planning and zoning requirements.

We respectfully request that our representatives introduce and support legislation at the state and federal levels that preserves access to legitimate recovery housing while restoring the ability of local governments to protect their communities.

Such legislation should:

1. Allow municipalities and county governments to enforce reasonable planning, zoning, occupancy, building, fire-safety and property-maintenance requirements.
2. Establish registration, licensing or certification standards so local officials know where sober-living facilities are operating and who is responsible for managing them.
3. Require meaningful inspections and compliance with reasonable health and safety standards.
4. Provide local governments and law-enforcement agencies with appropriate information needed to respond to emergencies, complaints and repeated ordinance violations.
5. Create transparency and accountability requirements for facility owners and operators, including clear contact information and procedures for addressing community concerns.
6. Establish meaningful consequences for negligent, unsafe or fraudulent operators while protecting responsible facilities that comply with applicable standards.
7. Ensure that all legislation respects the civil rights and dignity of individuals in recovery and complies with applicable state and federal protections.
8. Provide local governments with clear legal authority to enforce ordinances consistently without being forced into costly litigation over unclear state or federal requirements.

This is not an effort to prevent individuals in recovery from receiving housing, support or treatment. It is a request for reasonable oversight, responsible operation and a balanced approach that protects residents of sober-living facilities as well as the communities in which they operate.

Our local governments understand the unique needs of their communities. They should have the necessary authority to enforce reasonable ordinances, planning standards and zoning requirements while supporting legitimate recovery services.

We call upon our representatives in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District and Tennessee House Districts 69 and 78 to listen to their constituents, work across the state and federal levels, and pursue meaningful legislation that provides local governments with the tools necessary to ensure safety, transparency and accountability.

By signing this petition, we respectfully ask our elected representatives to take action and work together on a responsible legislative solution.