City passes ordinance giving sober living home residents tenants’ rights

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - Residents of sober living homes will have the same rights as tenants under an ordinance unanimously passed Monday night by Huntington City Council.

City attorney Scott Damron says that sober living home residents are the only renters in Huntington not currently protected by landlord/tenant law, and this ordinance would change that, giving them the right to due process when being evicted.

City leaders call it an innovative ordinance that will need to be approved by the West Virginia Home Rule Board.

Several sober living home owners spoke against the ordinance, stating it would disrupt recovery efforts and the way they operate.

Former Fire Chief Jan Rader and current Director of the Mayor’s Council on Public Health and Drug Control Policy says the ordinance will protect a vulnerable population and addresses complaints the city has received regarding sober living homes.