Communities push for limits on sober homes, other group housing

Michael and Emily Reif say the sober living house across the street from their St. Paul home has been a good neighbor. Residents there even held an open house after they moved in.

But then there is another sober house a few doors down. And a group home for people with disabilities. And University of St. Thomas student housing.

"It's not like we're against them," Michael Reif said of the group housing that's filling some of their Merriam Park neighborhood's old Victorian homes. "It's more striking a balance and maintaining the identity that made this an attractive place."

The Reifs support neighbors who will urge the St. Paul City Council this week to impose limits on sober housing in the area and track where various types of group housing are going.

Efforts to head off overconcentration aren't unique to an urban neighborhood such as Merriam Park. Some suburban leaders say group living facilities are also taxing their resources and changing the feel of their communities. They're taking a variety of steps to balance group housing with single-family homes.

But such efforts have disability advocates and sober home providers on edge. They say restrictions could discriminate against people who would be excellent neighbors.

"The waiting lists are incredibly long for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to secure housing opportunities," said Kim Keprios of The Arc Greater Twin Cities, a nonprofit that advocates for the rights of people with disabilities. "It's very disconcerting to see what's happening in these cities."

The limits proposed by the Merriam Park neighbors won't be recommended to the council by city planners, who are concerned that such regulations are discriminatory and could violate federal law.

"It's important to recognize that these congregate living residents are important members of our community and St. Paul welcomes them," said senior planner Bill Dermody.

People with disabilities and sober people seeking recovery are protected under the federal Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, said Chris Edrington, president of the Minnesota Association of Sober Homes. He said communities cannot put up barriers to prevent them from getting housed.

That hasn't allayed concerns in places like West St. Paul, which has imposed a yearlong moratorium on transitional housing, sober homes and other congregate living facilities as it studies potential zoning and code changes. Burnsville is pushing legislators to establish statewide standards for cities that would space out the group housing.

Members of the St. Paul Planning Commission were concerned about the legal implications of further limiting the locations of sober houses. They voted against recommending the Merriam Park neighbors' proposal to extend the city's distance requirement between such facilities, from one every 330 feet to one every 1,320 feet.

Under current regulations, the neighborhood could technically end up with 173 sober homes, according to the neighbors. With the 1,320-foot limit, the area would top out at 43.

Kevin Anderson, one of the neighbors pushing for the change, said that would still allow more sober homes in the neighborhood. But he said it would prevent the area from reaching a "tipping point" where the sense of community and stability that comes with single-family homes is lost.

In addition to spacing limits, residents are asking city officials to register, track and forecast all housing types and require that they be notified of incoming sober houses.

The Union Park District Council, which represents Merriam Park and nearby neighborhoods, supports those changes.

"More information is better than less information," said Julie Reiter, the district council's executive director. She added that the council doesn't support the distance requirements, noting that council members "didn't feel as well-versed with the legalities of that."

In Dakota County, officials recently started addressing concerns about clusters of group housing in a way they hope prevents overconcentration while avoiding federal regulatory issues.

Staffers used to point people in need of group housing — including the homeless, those with disabilities, those recovering from addiction, or ex-convicts — toward existing service providers, often located in West and South St. Paul, where there is more transit-friendly affordable housing, Dakota County Housing Manager Madeline Kastler said.

Now staffers ask people where they would like to live and then find services to make that happen. She said that a "natural byproduct" of that approach is that residents are more spread out.

Officials from Dakota County and many of its cities also started meeting a year ago to deal with frequent 911 calls to some group housing facilities. They began sharing data to address problem properties.

Several city officials said things are improving, but they are still pursuing other actions to avoid overconcentration and weed out bad operators.

For instance, West St. Paul's moratorium on various types of congregate housing is still in place, and Burnsville has maintained its legislative position on standards to space out residential care facilities.

"There's a move to require regulation and spacing requirements," Kastler said, but those tactics come from the perspective that group housing is a problem.

"We really feel like the approach of talking with a person, and asking them where they want to live and what supports we can bring to them in the community, is the best way to approach concentration issues," she said.

Jessie Van Berkel • 612-673-4649