oxford house has become my home. Upon entering, that’s what was told to me. “Welcome HOME.” It is not a program, we operate democratically and manage the house and bills and upkeep ourselves. We go to meetings. We treat each other like family and we stay clean! To change how we operate goes against the very foundation that Oxford House has thrived on for so many years. I support rules that keep people safe, but rules that require staff or assume every home is a commercial business would keep Oxford Houses from operating in Virginia, even though research shows our model gets the best results. Please change those rules, and please clarify whether house members are considered the operator.

Thank you and please reconsider these changes.