The fate of a addiction recovery home in Francestown is uncertain, as the process of making a decision drags on.
Lakehouse Recovery LLC, located at 345 Scoby Road, opened its doors in September 2016 without any prior knowledge from the town. Once Select Board members became aware of the situation, they sent a non-conformance notice to the home’s owner, Mark Hatfield, which stated it did not appear that he was in compliance with the town’s zoning ordinance. Hatfield then contended he’s not operating a “commercial business,” but a “in-home business” and therefore doesn’t need town approval.
As of February 2016 the recovery home was registered as a limited liability company, according to the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s Office.
Since the issue surfaced, the matter has been drawn out in an appeals process that have resulted in no action. The sober home continues to function as it has since it opened.
The most recent meeting regarding an appeal to a ZBA decision handed down in March was canceled early last week. Town Administrator Jamie Pike said Hatfield has submitted a new application for a special exception ordinance, which will be presented to the ZBA at its May meeting. A special exception requires approval from town officials to use land for a purpose other than what is generally allowed.
Pike said the change of course came as a result from advice from Hatfield’s legal counsel.
As the opiod crisis ravages the state, addiction recovery centers are also on the rise.
Since many of the sober homes, which are generally renovated single-family houses, do not require state registration, it often falls on town officials to decide if they meet zoning regulations.
In Hancock, Addiction Recovery Coalition of N.H. planned to open a sober home for 12 to 15 men in converted farmhouse buildings on Elmwood Road. After discussion with town officials, Addiction Recovery Center reduced the number of beds to six – the maximum allowed under the town’s zoning.
“It wasn’t considered a change of use,” said Hancock’s Town Administrator Diane Kendall in a brief interview with the Ledger-Transcript earlier this year. “It’s not a treatment center, they don’t administer medications, they don’t provide treatment. It’s being used just as it was before, people are renting to live there.”
Other recovery homes in the state haven’t been so lucky.
In October, a home called Driven by Circumstance in Franklin was issued a cease-and-desist order, according to an article published in The Concord Monitor.
New Futures Community Engagement Director Cheryle Pacapelli said a state task force is currently drafting a set of state standards for sober and recovery homes.
She said the group is working off a set of standards put out by the National Alliance for Recovery Residences, and adapting those to fit in with the state of New Hampshire. Pacapelli said the standards will look at things like how many people are in a room, a review of its policies and procedures, and its policies on medications.
“They will be standards, not regulations,” Pacapelli said.
Once a set list of standards is in place, the state will be able to certify if a house meets those standards. Ideally, she said, an independent evaluator would go out to a house every six months.
That could potentially clear up issues people have raised about the legitimacy of the sober homes.
Hatfield is listed as a certified alcohol and drug abuse counselor, according to his website, which also says he holds an associates degree in drug and alcohol rehabilitation, a bachelors degree in addiction counseling, and is an interventionist trained by A&E’s show Intervention.
Hatfield is not, however, listed as a licensed professional by the state of New Hampshire as of June 28, 2016, although recovery homes are not required to have state licensed drug and alcohol councilors on site.
Hatfield also has a logo on his website of the Association for Addiction Professionals, which represents the professional interests of more than 95,000 addiction counselors, educators and other addiction focused health care professionals in the U.S. and abroad. Lakehouse Recovery is not listed on its website as a member.
Despite concerns some people have about recovery centers, Pacapelli said they are critical components for getting people back onto their feet after being hit with addiction.
“This is one part of a continuum of care for people with substance-abuse disorders,” Pacapelli said. “And there need to be more long-term recovery options.”
Abby Kessler can be reached at akessler@ledgertranscript.com.