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Fair housing, sober living

Chris Edrington
Guest Opinion

My name is Chris Edrington. I am the founder of St. Paul Sober Living. We operate several sober living group homes in St. Paul, Minn., and two in Garfield County.

In 2007, after purchasing a home outside Glenwood Springs in the Elk Springs neighborhood, we began to encounter concern and questions from our neighbors about our presence. Unfortunately, these questions quickly turned accusatory.

The president of the Elk Springs Homeowners Association at the time asked me to confirm that a sober group home was opening up. When I told him it was true, his next question was: “How much do you want to leave?”



Sadly, this question was representative of the tone of the community at large for the next five years. When we held an open house and invited all neighbors, only one couple from the neighborhood came.

The HOA hired an attorney to find out if they could prevent our sober house from opening, only to learn that it was highly unlikely. Then representatives of the HOA turned to local government and asked the Garfield County Commissioners to sue us — and in 2010 they did.



Garfield County sued St. Paul Sober Living in state court for violating county zoning ordinances. Our only recourse at St. Paul Sober Living was to countersue in federal court, where jurisdiction for this matter lies.

There is a substantial legal record making it abundantly clear that the Fair Housing Act and Americans with Disabilities Act allow sober living homes to exist and thrive in residential areas like Elk Springs. These laws say people suffering from addiction and in recovery may live together to rebuild their lives, and are allowed to live anywhere — regardless of local zoning or HOA rules.

Additionally, the law requires local governments to provide reasonable accommodation to allow such homes to operate. That means adjusting zoning to accommodate sober homes as they regularly do with other types of group homes.

It seemed, however, Garfield County went out of its way to delay, dissuade, and deter the process. County Commissioner John Martin testified under oath in federal court in 2012 that he and his colleagues were advised by counsel about the Fair Housing Act and Americans with Disabilities Act, but chose to sue us anyway.

From the vantage point of my company, the county commissioners and the Elk Springs HOA did not want these residents in their community.

In 2012, a federal jury ruled Garfield County violated the Fair Housing Act by acting in a discriminatory and retaliatory fashion when it used local zoning regulations in an attempt to shut down our sober living house. The court also ruled that the county government owed St. Paul Sober Living $400,000 for lost business and our lawyers another $400,000 for costs incurred. Last month we settled on a final payment that is a few hundred thousand less, but the county’s discrimination nevertheless cost taxpayers more than $500,000.

Our biggest disappointment is that our neighbors and the county commissioners did not take the time to learn about the law and what sober living homes do and how they do it. If they had, I believe the lawsuit could have been avoided.

St. Paul Sober Living homes typically accommodate up to 10 residents, and are located in single-family neighborhoods. In all, my company has more than 100 beds filled with people working hard to build a new life.

Most residents are coming out of treatment programs, where they were immersed in an atmosphere of professional support aimed at breaking the cycle of addiction. To help them take the next step, St. Paul Sober Living provides a supportive home with structure and expectations. We are about sober living, not simply sober housing. Our residents recognize the efficacy of this, and when they choose to live with they agree to:

• Remain sober

• Become a supportive member of the house

• Abide by house rules, including curfew and transparency

• Submit to regular drug-testing and periodic room searches

• Participate actively in Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous

• Maintain a reasonable schedule of employment, school and/or volunteer

Most importantly, they must demonstrate a desire to grasp and develop a healthy sober life.

The truth is the Roaring Fork Valley is a great place to do that. People in recovery here own companies, work in every type of job, coach kids, compete athletically, volunteer and fill any number of roles in the community. They are young and old, parents and single. Many attend one or more of the 88 AA or NA meetings scheduled each week between Aspen and Glenwood Springs.

In addition to a strong economy, the valley offers a great educational opportunity with Colorado Mountain College. Our homes, both in Elk Springs and Carbondale, are just blocks away from CMC facilities.

The resolution of this case represents an opportunity for positive change. As the owner of two sober living houses in the area, I invite all who live in this great place to get to know those of us living sober lifestyles, and help the community overcome stereotypes that do so much harm.

— Chris Edrington founded St. Paul Sober Living in 2001. He previously lived in Vail and Boulder, and now regularly visits the Roaring Fork Valley. Chris has been clean and sober for more than 15 years.


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