Suffolk to get fed help with sober homes legislation

Suffolk's attempts to regulate so-called "sober homes" - privately run residences for recovering addicts - would get federal legal assistance under a proposal Tuesday by New York Sen. Charles Schumer.

Schumer, a Democrat, asked both the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Justice to advise Suffolk legislators on whether a new law will be able to avoid a court challenge. Earlier this year, a federal judge struck down Suffolk's 2003 law regulating sober homes, saying it violated the federal Fair Housing Act by discriminating against those suffering from substance abuse.

"If the courts are going to use federal rules to say the county cannot regulate those sober homes that are out-of-hand, then the feds need to come to Suffolk County and help them get it right," said Schumer.

In August, the Suffolk legislature unanimously passed a new law requiring the county Department of Social Services to come up with new guidelines. But since then, local officials have asked Schumer's help in getting advice from the federal agencies so the new law isn't later ruled unconstitutional.

Overall, there are as many as 600 sober homes in Suffolk, Schumer said, with many residents jammed into houses usually designed as single-family homes. Schumer said many are run by "irresponsible owners who run dangerous homes" with little government regulation.

Suffolk Legis. Kate Browning, whose district in Shirley includes several sober homes, said new county regulations that would pass legal review "will greatly aid those individuals who are most vulnerable, protect our communities, and put an end to the wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars."