Recovery residences.

Existing law establishes the California Health and Human Services Agency to oversee departments and offices that provide services in specified areas, including, health care, mental health, public health, and alcohol and drug treatment. Existing law establishes within the agency, the State Department of Health Care Services. Existing law requires the department to license and regulate facilities that provide residential nonmedical services to adults who are recovering from problems related to alcohol, drug, or alcohol and drug misuse or abuse, and who need alcohol, drug, or alcohol and drug recovery treatment or detoxification services. Existing law also requires the department to implement a voluntary certification procedure for alcohol and other drug treatment recovery services. Existing law requires a program licensed or certified by the department to disclose ownership or control of, or financial interest in, a recovery residence. Existing law defines a recovery residence for this purpose to mean a residential dwelling that provides primary housing for individuals who seek a cooperative living arrangement that supports personal recovery from a substance use disorder and that does not require licensure by the department or does not provide licensable services, as specified. This bill would enact the Excellence in Recovery Residence Housing Act. The bill would require the Secretary of California Health and Human Services, on or before January 1, 2023, to develop and publish on the department's internet website consensus-based guidelines and nationally recognized standards for counties to promote the availability of high-quality recovery residence housing for individuals with a substance use disorder. The bill would require the guidelines and standards to be developed in consultation with specified agencies and organizations, to build on existing best practices and suggested guidelines developed by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and to use language that serves to distinguish recovery residence housing from the treatment of addiction. The bill would require the secretary to request the University of California, Los Angeles to conduct a study on the availability of high-quality recovery residence housing and on state, tribal, and local regulation and oversight of recovery residence housing. The bill would require the secretary to request the University of California, Los Angeles, based on the study, if conducted, to submit a report to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Health on or before January 1, 2023, that contains the results of the study and other specified information, including recommendations for state and local policies to promote the availability of high-quality recovery residence housing in California.