Residents want home regulations

A group of residents has submitted a petition to regulate sober-living facilities and keep them out of residential neighborhoods in Huntington Beach.

About 32 residents are asking the City Council to adopt an ordinance to require a conditional use permit for sober living homes. Newport Beach enacted a similar ordinance in 2008 that requires homes to go through the public hearing process and obtain a permit.

The ordinance has caused three Newport Beach homes to sue the city in federal court, claiming the ordinance discriminates against recovering alcoholics and drug addicts.

The Huntington Beach residents want to make sure sober living homes aren’t built in neighborhoods, or near schools or parks, but in multiuse-zoned areas or commercial high-residential density area zoned for apartments.

“We want to point out that we support the efforts of people addressing their substance abuse issues. However, we feel that sober living and group homes should be regulated by the city . . . ,� the group’s spokeswoman, Laura Cavener, said in an e-mail.

The neighbors had a home in their tract at one point, and there were several complaints of loitering, thefts and public disturbances, Cavener said. One tenant of the facility also crashed their car into a neighbor’s parked vehicle, she said.

“While the tenants in our tract are no longer there, we remain concerned at the lack of regulation on these types of group homes in a single-family residential area,� Cavener said.

The homes are a way for people to start over in a structured environment after undergoing detox and treatment, said the owner of a Huntington Beach facility who wished to remain anonymous because of Alcoholics Anonymous requirements. Patrons of the homes are required to follow strict guidelines, including keeping a job or volunteering and following a 12-step program, and there is zero tolerance for drug or alcohol use, he said.

“There is a huge misconception to what sober living is,� he said.

The home in the petitioner’s tract probably wasn’t a real sober living facility and is giving legitimate facilities a bad name, the owner said.

The owner said the people in the sober living homes have every right to live in residential neighborhoods, and people don’t want them because of “fear and ignorance.�

“They’re human. They’re people. They have every right to be a part of the community,� he said.

The owner also said sober living homes are protected under the Fair Housing Act, which protects people from being discriminated against in situations related to housing.

With Newport Beach in the middle of a lawsuit over its ordinance, Huntington Beach City Atty. Jennifer McGrath said it is unknown whether such an ordinance is legal until the Newport lawsuit is resolved.