As the start of the 88th Texas Legislative session quickly approaches, Recovery People is excited to announce the pre-filing of HB299 (Murr), regarding voluntary recovery housing accreditation.
Well-operated recovery housing is a proven and cost-effective means of promoting recovery from substance use issues. However, there has also been a rise in “bad players” within recovery housing given the current marketplace, fraudulent business practices, and patient brokering. The lack of knowledge about the scope of service, codes of ethics, and best practices can result in negligence, relapse, injury, or death of residents. Accreditation empowers consumer choice, while also providing reliable information for referrals and a means of reporting concerns.
HB 299 defines recovery housing in statute, carves out recovery housing from other housing models or facilities, and prohibits recovery homes from engaging in patient brokering and using false, misleading or deceptive marketing. HB 299 also incentivizes voluntary accreditation by strengthening fair housing rights of residents in certified recovery housing, requiring recovery housing to be NARR accredited or Oxford House chartered to receive state funds, and requiring referrals from state funded and licensed facilities and licensed professionals to be to accredited or chartered homes.