I have lived in several Oxford Houses in the Winchester area. Oxford houses are democratically self-governing and self-supporting under the Oxford House system of operations. 

When I first got sober, I also found out that I was pregnant. Oxford House has provided myself and my daughter is a safe and sober place to call home. It has given me the accountability and support needed to build a life that is truly worth living. I will be celebrating 4 years of sobriety this coming January and know without any doubt that I would not have been able to make it this far without the community provided by Oxford House. It isn't just housing, it's a place that I am proud to call my home. The ladies that I live with have become family and I feel so blessed to have so much love in my life and my daughter's. 

I believe in rules that protect people's safety, but rules that have a staff requirement or assume that every home is a commercial business would keep Oxford Houses from operating in the state of Virginia, even though research has already proven that the Oxford house model gets the best results. Please change the rules, and please clarify the house members as the operator of the recovery residence.