The landlord deals with duly constituted officers of the group and can expect accountability for all matters concerning the occupancy. Individuals come and go but officers will always be duly authorized to act for the group. Moreover, the landlord does not have to worry about the accountability of particular individuals. He or she is dealing with an established organization that, of necessity, takes pride in preservation of its good name and reputation.
A watershed in those efforts was the decision by the United States Supreme Court in May 1995 in the case City of Edmonds, WA v. Oxford House, Inc. et. In that case, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that recovering alcoholics and drug addicts were a protected class under the handicapped provisions of the Federal Fair Housing Act Amendments of 1988. Yes, there are Oxford Houses in Canada, Australia and Ghana with active interest in England, Bulgaria and other countries. Alcoholism and drug addiction are international problems and Oxford Houses can provide recovering individuals the opportunity to become comfortable enough in sobriety to avoid relapse.
House Forms
The Fair Housing Act extends protection from discrimination beyond state actors. For example, courts have sustained the position that insurance companies cannot charge landlords more for comprehensive insurance when the landlord is renting property to handicapped individuals. 2d 1 (D.D.C. 1999), two landlords who rented their homes to people with disabilities were denied standard landlord insurance and were directed to purchase costlier commercial insurance policies.
- All they need to do is to find a house to rent in the name of the group, and apply to Oxford House, Inc., for a charter.
- The average number of times an Oxford House resident has been through prior treatment is three, but for about a quarter of residents their Oxford House residency is after their first treatment episode.
- John Stanton, one of the Washington, DC attorneys handling that case, has written a law review article covering the entire matter of discrimination under the Fair Housing Act, as amended, and the rights of disabled individuals.
- The application is then considered by the membership of the House and if there is a vacancy and if 80% of the members approve, the applicant is accepted and moves in.
Oxford Houses are considered single family residences for purposes of zoning. This has always been true in practice and since March 12, 1989, the effective date of the 1988 Amendments to the Federal Fair Housing Act, it has been a matter of law. Those amendments make it unlawful for any jurisdiction to discriminate against congregate living for the disabled. Recovering alcoholics and drug addicts are within the scope of the term «disabled». Therefore, Oxford Houses are not subject to zoning laws regulating the number of unrelated individuals who may live in a single family dwelling. It is simply an alcohol and drug free living environment which provides and opportunity for recovering individuals to live as a family unit focused on the need to change their individual lifestyle to one absolutely free of alcohol and drug use.
Polis Ln, Oxford, NY 13830
The Oxford House website contains an application and information about How to Apply to live in an Oxford House. Equal Expense Shared (EES) is generally between 80 and 160 dollars a week and includes utilities. Weekly business meetings are mandatory to discuss any issues that the house may be facing. It is at these meetings that checks are written for bills and residents are made aware of where they stand financially. Oxford House follows a rule of law in making certain that its time-tested system of operation works well. At the same time Oxford House follows laws in the community at large including those that prohibit others from discriminating against the existence of the individual Oxford House.
Large houses are rented and located in nice neighborhoods giving anywhere from 6 to 15 same-gender individuals a safe, supportive place to call home. The success of Oxford House is well documented and has resulted in the inclusion of the Oxford House Model into the SAMSHA National Registry of Evidence Based Programs and Practices (NREPP). Following national expansion of Oxford House™ in 1989, a number of cases or controversies have arisen as some communities or companies have attempt to treat an Oxford House™ different than an ordinary family would have been treated. Oxford House, Inc. took the lead in defending the right of any Oxford House™ to establish a house in a good neighborhood – particularly in light of the 1988 Amendments to the Federal Fair Housing Act adding “handicapped” as a protected class.
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This is understandable since as many as 80% of the current jail/prison population are alcoholics and drug addicts. Oxford Houses seem to stop the recycling in and out of jail or treatment facilities. All they need to do is to find a house to rent in the name of the group, and apply to Oxford House, Inc., for a charter. Senior Federal Judge Gerard L. Goettel, in his decision, explains in detail the different types of discrimination under the Federal Fair Housing Act and such basic requirements on government and others to make reasonable accommodation. 2d 262 (2001) was substantially affirmed by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
The Wai Case settled the fact that recovering alcoholics and drug addicts are subject to the nondiscrimination provisions of both FFHA and ADA whether such discrimination is from the state or private entities. John Stanton, one of the Washington, DC attorneys handling that case, has written a law review article covering the entire matter of discrimination under the Fair Housing Act, as amended, and the rights of disabled individuals. Yes, because alcoholism, 50 Substance Abuse Group Therapy Activities for Recovery drug addiction and mental illness are handicapping conditions. Oxford House, Inc. litigated the issue and in 1995 the United States Supreme Court considered the issue in City of Edmonds, WA v. Oxford House, Inc. et. Since then courts have found that the same protection applies with respect to fire safety standards and rates charged property owners for property insurance coverage. In fact, Oxford Houses must be treated the same as ordinary families.
Q. How long can one live in an Oxford House?
In most communities, the members of those organizations help Oxford Houses get started and report any charter compliance problems to the national office of Oxford House World Services with respect to a particular house. As soon as Oxford House Inc., hears of such problems, it takes corrective action because the good name of Oxford House is an important https://g-markets.net/sober-living/thoughts-of-recovery-no-17-the-spiritual-malady/ factor in the recovery of thousands of individuals. Oxford Houses of Texas, established in 1990, is a state-wide network of addiction recovery homes chartered by Oxford House, Inc., the 501c3 umbrella corporation. Each Oxford House operates democratically, pays its own bills, and expels any member who returns to drinking alcohol or using drugs.
- Equal Expense Shared (EES) is generally between 80 and 160 dollars a week and includes utilities.
- The success of Oxford House is well documented and has resulted in the inclusion of the Oxford House Model into the SAMSHA National Registry of Evidence Based Programs and Practices (NREPP).
- Since then courts have found that the same protection applies with respect to fire safety standards and rates charged property owners for property insurance coverage.
- Experience of Oxford House has shown that from 8 to 15 members works very well.