House Human Services panel hears testimony backing S.157 to certify recovery residences and expand stabilization supports

The House Committee on Human Services heard more than two hours of testimony on S.157, a bill that would authorize the Department of Health to establish a certification process for recovery residences, require data collection from certified homes and make the landlord-tenant exclusion permanent for certified operators.

"Prevention works, treatment is effective and people can recover," said Emily Truter, Division Director for the Department of Health’s Division of Substance Use Programs, framing the bill as part of the department’s strategic plan to expand access, quality and equity in recovery housing. Truter told the committee that Vermont has adopted the National Alliance for Recovery Residences standards and currently funds primarily level‑2 and level‑3 residences while supporting broader capacity growth.

Operators and nonprofit advocates urged the committee to back S.157, describing the law as a tool to sustain structured, peer‑driven homes and to prevent destabilizing outcomes in shared residences. "I jotted down 58% of the folks that enter a recovery residence come from homelessness," said Jeff Morrow, executive director of the Vermont Alliance for Recovery Residences, citing his organization’s intake patterns and arguing that certification plus voucher supports helps people avoid immediate rent obligations that could be a barrier to housing…