Following Newsom’s Veto, Lawmaker Returns With Drug-Free Homeless Housing Bill

San Francisco Assemblymember Matt Haney is reviving a proposal to allow drug-free housing for people transitioning out of homelessness, months after Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a similar bill.

Haney’s new proposal, AB 1556, would set rules for how “recovery residences” can operate within California’s Housing First framework, the state’s policy of offering permanent housing without first requiring people to meet conditions like sobriety, mental health treatment or employment.

“We should give people who are ready to take the steps to get to recovery and stability an opportunity to do so,” Haney said at a press conference in San Francisco on Monday. “People want to live in housing where they receive the support to be off of and away from drugs with people who will support them in that process.”

The legislation comes after Newsom rejected Haney’s AB 255 last year. That bill would have allowed some state homelessness dollars to support sober housing programs.

In his veto message, Newsom said recovery-focused housing is already allowed under state law and argued the bill “wrongly suggests incompatibility with Housing First.” He also raised concerns about creating a separate certification and oversight process that could cost taxpayers money.

Housing First has been credited with reducing barriers for people who might otherwise be denied housing because of substance use, mental health challenges or other issues. But some local officials and advocates argue the policy has also made it harder to fund housing where residents can live away from active drug use.

Supporters of sober housing have said those environments are especially important as cities like San Francisco continue to confront homelessness and addiction, including its ongoing fentanyl crisis. But the proposal is likely to face pushback from some homelessness advocates, who have long warned that sobriety requirements can become a pathway to eviction.

Haney said the new bill is meant to provide clarity for housing providers, local governments and people in recovery who want a sober living environment. According to Haney’s office, AB 1556 would allow recovery residences to maintain sobriety standards, while requiring a “non-punitive” response when someone relapses, including connecting residents to alternative housing and services rather than kicking them out of the program and pushing them back into homelessness.

Housing California, a statewide affordable housing advocacy group, has already listed its opposition to AB 1556, citing concerns about residents being required to choose recovery housing and harm-reduction housing options.

Newsom’s veto last year did not dismiss recovery housing outright. Instead, he said the state should continue working on ways to support recovery-focused models without undermining Housing First.