TAKE ACTIONEnsure Recovery Homes Are Safe and Effective

A phone call is the most effective way to contact a legislator. Representative phone numbers are their personal numbers, so sometimes a family member will answer the phone. If they do not answer, leave a brief message with your name, the town in which you live, and your phone number. 

Many advocates find it helpful to prepare before making a call. Find phone numbers and a sample script below.

Phone Call Script

Hello, Representative _____________. My name is _____________, and I'm your constituent living in the town of _______________.

Choose a few of the suggested points below:

• I’m calling to urge you to support SB 298 when it goes to a vote in the House this Thursday.
• As you may know, SB 298 will support the health and safety of individuals in recovery, and of our neighborhoods, by requiring ALL recovery houses to be certified by the State.
• Certainly most of our recovery houses are doing things the right way and looking out for their residents.
• But, under our current voluntary certification system, we hear far too often about houses in Manchester and elsewhere that are not meeting basic health and safety standards. This puts people’s recovery at risk, and has negative impacts on our neighborhoods as a whole.
• For this reason, I urge you to support SB 298 to ensure ALL our recovery houses are meeting the needs of their residents and our communities.

Background Information:

• This bill does NOT change the certification standards in any way.
  
  • It requires ALL houses to meet the standards that are currently in place.
• There are currently 89 recovery houses certified by the NH Partnership for Recovery Residences, the state’s certifying entity.
  • We have no way of knowing how many uncertified houses are in the state, and currently no way for the state to address complaints about uncertified houses.
• To achieve certification, houses must meet 39 standards established byNHPRR and the N.H. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
  • These standards are modeled after the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)’s Best Practices for Recovery Houses¹
  • They govern operations, health and safety conditions, community impacts, and other matters critical to the function of these houses, their residents, and the communities they serve.

Thank you so much for your time. Please support SB 298.

Have you, a loved one, or a client/patient been impacted by recovery housing?

Share your experience.

Please consider the following questions when telling your story:

• How has recovery housing (or the lack thereof) influenced your recovery?
  • What aspects were most helpful?
  • What parts could be improved?

• Have you ever had concerns about the safety or quality of a recovery residence? What would it have meant to you to know a home met established standards?