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Resident says three years in recovery did not prevent housing denial
Summary
At a Livingston County public meeting, a resident testified they were denied housing despite three years in recovery and urged treating opioid use disorder as a chronic health condition. Another speaker described family estrangement tied to past substance use.
A public commenter identified in the transcript as Resident 2 told Livingston County meeting attendees that she had been in recovery for three years but still faced housing denial because of her past. "I've been in recovery for 3 years, but I was still denied housing because of my past," Resident 2 said.
Resident 2 framed the issue as both a policy and community problem, urging officials and neighbors that "Your actions can be a lifeline and a path to hope." She argued policymakers and housing providers should consider recovery as a medical condition requiring ongoing support, saying, "Opioid use disorder is a chronic disease that needs lifelong management, no different than diabetes, asthma, or high blood pressure." Another commenter (Resident 1) described the social toll of past substance use, stating, "My own family was ashamed to be around me," and noting that others told them they "wasn't to be trusted."
The speakers did not cite a specific housing provider, ordinance, or agency in the transcript, and they did not record a response or formal action during these segments. The comments combined personal testimony about stigma and a direct plea for community-level support and policy attention to avoid housing exclusions for people in recovery. Resident 2 closed by urging collective support: "Let's be a community that supports recovery."
