Sober Home To Move Forward In Dorchester, Despite Residents’ Concerns

In the midst of an opioid epidemic, residents told the Pizziferris they fully understand the need for sober homes and praised their mission. But the idea of two out of the tight-knit street’s 11 homes becoming sober homes and housing 15 or more residents each, without the owner reaching out to any neighbors to inform them, sober houses in dorchester ma felt unsettling, the neighbors said. Villaroel, Nwosu and 50 of their neighbors have signed a petition calling on the city to take a stronger position on the opening of sober houses in Meetinghouse Hill. But advocates for sober houses, citing laws that protect disabled people, say this would amount to discrimination.

Sober houses are not regulated by the state, and neighbors’ efforts to block them are nothing new. These disputes can land cities and sober home operators (including Tine’s cases in Worcester, Fitchburg, Methuen and Fall River) in court. The tension isn’t new, but advocates in the sober house world say a resolution could be in sight. They came together to block the opening of the second sober house on one street — warning there could be even more on the horizon. In the auditorium of the Mather School at the top of Dorchester’s Meetinghouse Hill, more than three dozen neighbors gathered on a recent Wednesday night for a sitdown with Boston’s chief building inspector. “The issue of sober homes has to be addressed at the state level,” Miranda said on her return, adding she will look into legislative options.

Palm House Play Cafe

Our homes and their atmospheres are nurtured by the guests they provide for. But advocates for sober houses argue that they’re exempt from certain zoning requirements. Where cities can regulate the number of unrelated people living in a single-family, sober house advocates say this doesn’t apply to them because the residents are disabled. Reached by phone, however, he says he’s trying to do the right thing for people struggling with addiction. All of his sober houses are certified with MASH, and residents must pass regular drug screenings in order to stay there, according to a website for the houses, which are named Faith House #1 through #7. «Sober houses practice abstinence, and they usually require urine drug testing and they have curfews and rules in place,» Tine said.

The right sober living environment that takes care of your physical needs while providing accountability and therapy is often the key to success in treatment. Contact Rockland Recovery Sober Living today at [direct] to discuss your needs or to schedule a tour of our sober living homes. Rockland, MA, Milton, MA, and Dorchester, MA residents now have an option to give them the tools they need to complete their recovery journey through the benefits of sober living housing. Boston officials note the phrase «sober house» doesn’t appear in the zoning code, which is to say there are no specific rules about how they can operate.

Dorchester Skatepark

Across the street from the sober house at 16 Potosi, Lisa Villaroel surveys the neighborhood from her sidewalk. She has lived in Meetinghouse Hill for decades and seems to know all of the denizens — past and present — in what she calls a quiet neighborhood of Caribbean islanders, whites, Latinos, African-Americans and Cape Verdeans. Neighbors soon reported to the city that workers were carrying mattresses into the Richies’ old house.

For the warmer months, we also have an outdoor meeting area, large decks, and a yard to enjoy. Not sure who owns these sober homes but they are anything but nice places to live. When you go to take a shower you need to keep all your valuables with you or they wont be yours any longer. My roommate was so banged up every night it was a relief when he finally passed out. They mean well but do not do enough due diligence when letting potential residents in. None of knows who will actually stay sober but with this place as long as you have some dough your good to go as the saying goes.

Boston Sober Homes

Each guest can expect a clean bed, sufficient clothing storage, HDTV w/ cable and free wifi in every room inside a clean, well maintained home cared for by the guests who stay there! Our homes are smoke free but there are plenty of designated outdoor smoking areas. The outcome of these cases could ultimately trickle down to Joseph Pizziferri, the man behind the sober house at 16 Potosi and connected to the LLC that bought the Richie house at 29 Percival.

According to the Massachusetts Alliance for Sober Housing (MASH), there are 180 certified sober houses in the state, including 22 in Boston. The group’s database shows 17 of these certified homes are in Dorchester, in addition to a few in Roxbury and East Boston. You’ll share this space with people who are going through the same thing you are. There are onsite house managers to offer direction and to provide support. Our sober living home in Rockland, MA is designed to help you gain life skills and confidence. Sober house attorney Tine says some federal cases have gone in favor of sober homes.

ODEON Dorchester

The burden on Roxbury and Dorchester in this area is immense, Miranda said, ticking off streets where multiple houses flipped to sober homes often without telling neighbors. Sheila Dillon, Boston’s housing chief, was among those visibly frustrated by the meeting’s turn. The state has standards for how densely rooming houses can be sited, she pointed out, so the state could, in theory, make density a condition of its voluntary certification process for sober homes.

And with local cases headed to higher courts, he says case law on the status of sober houses could soon be settled in Massachusetts. In our women’s rehab center and men’s rehab center, you will have access to the level of care you need. You’ll gain access to the quality of care that’s needed and right for you at any given time. “The issue with it is it’s just so difficult to oversee,» Baker said, adding that the clustering of sober houses is “absolutely” a problem in certain areas. City Councilor Frank Baker, whose district includes Meetinghouse Hill, said he’d like for the city to have a greater ability to regulate sober houses. But do neighbors have grounds for rejecting the clustering of sober houses in a single area?

One of those officials — Inspectional Services Department Commissioner William Christopher — was at Tuesday’s meeting and at first spoke kindly of the Pizziferris. They came into his office willingly and made changes to the house so that it better reflected the single-family zoning for which it was intended, Christopher said. They assured Christopher they would not be moving forward with plans to make it a sober home. Sober living homes are a way for you to step back into life once you have the drugs out of your system. The key is using them fully and getting the most out of them that you can.

You have the option to choose from single, double, and triple occupancy rooms, depending on your needs and desires. Every house has an on-site house manager that helps keep the home clean and drug-free. It’s a neighborhood largely made up of owner-occupied houses — with the vast Ronan Park at its center — and a strong tradition of community activism. To a passerby the sober home looks like any other house on the street. But to neighbors like Villaroel it’s a nuisance that could be about to multiply.