Recovery Related Group Homes and Disproportionate Environmental Hazard Impacts

Abstract

Environmental justice research has shown that different marginalized populations in the United States have been disproportionately impacted by environmental harms. Most of the research and policy has focused on racial/ethnic minority and low-income groups. None of the research has focused on populations in recovery from addiction. In this article, we consider the intersection between environmental hazard and the siting of addiction recovery homes. We suggest that a pattern of co-occurrence between environmental hazards and recovery houses constitutes a particular form of environmental injustice. We base our research on the assertions of scholars such as who demonstrate that the discrimination and stigma faced by people in recovery contribute to a not-in-my-backyard response when the construction or development of recovery houses is proposed. Theoretically, we contend that such responses are governed by a politics of disposability. This is a pilot study with two areas of research showing a positive correlation between sober living houses being located in areas with higher rates of cancer, lead paint, and respiratory hazards; more research is warranted. Using a linear model, we show that there is a positive correlation between higher cancer risk, lead paint exposure, and respiratory hazard index, and having an Oxford House located in a census block group in both Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania.