Panel advances bill to clarify and protect drug‑free recovery housing

The committee considered AB 15 56 to clarify how drug‑free recovery residences should operate within California’s homelessness and housing‑first framework. The bill would require recovery residences to adopt written return‑to‑use plans that set non‑punitive protocols for relapse, include linkages to treatment and overdose reversal medication, and require warm handoffs to alternate housing or services rather than immediate eviction.

Amber Richmond (speaker 54), who identified herself as a San Francisco resident with lived experience, told the committee that living in a sober environment helped her recovery and survival, and argued that intentionally creating more sober residences can save lives. "I was placed in a sober, stable environment...it pushed me to want more for myself," she said in testimony about how recovery housing can change outcomes for people with substance use disorders.

Housing California and the Corporation for Supportive Housing registered concerns that the bill’s current language could increase evictions for people with substance use disorders or conflict with the state’s Housing First policy; they asked the author to align return‑to‑use language with prior bills and guidance. The author and sponsors said they are working with stakeholders to refine eviction protections and ensure relapse responses are consistent with non‑punitive best practices. The committee passed the bill to the Assembly Committee on Health.