COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — State leaders have been scrutinizing Ohio’s addiction recovery houses, with the Department of Behavioral Health taking direct control of their certification earlier this summer over concerns that too many are overcrowded.
A new bill sponsored by Rep. Brian Lorenz (R-Powell) would limit how many people can live in a recovery house in a residential neighborhood, part of a multipronged effort by lawmakers trying to ensure quality of life for people living in those houses and their neighbors.
Lorenz said his bill is not meant to punish group home operators, but to protect communities from improper property usage and protect the residents whose health and prospects for recovery are threatened by overcrowded conditions. According to Lorenz, he worked at a group home in Mansfield after graduating from college…