Hello, I am the daughter of someone who is part of the Oxford House. I have seen the positive impact it has had on my mother. Oxford House provides a supportive environment and community where everyone holds each other accountable, builds relationships, and works towards maintaining recovery. What stands out the most is that Oxford House is self-governing. It provides everyone the responsibility of making decisions and working through conflicts. It also gives them a sense of ownership and independence. As a family member, it is meaningful to see someone I care about have a safe place where they can grow and rebuild their life while surrounded by people who understand what they are going through.

Recovery has had a huge impact on not just my mother but our entire family. Oxford has giving families hope by helping our loved ones develop stability, responsibility, and confidence, and control of their lives back. I believe the people who live in these homes should have a meaningful voice in how their homes operate, while still having appropriate oversight and safety standards. Rules should support recovery and the unique way Oxford House works rather than taking away the self-governing model that makes it valuable. As a family member, I support protecting the parts of Oxford House that allow residents to support one another and take responsibility for their own recovery. 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."