Sober living manager Seth Wiles was surprised when San Rafael City Council approved a temporary moratorium on large unlicensed group homes in March.

“We’re like any other family in the neighborhood,” Wiles said when he opened the house on 201 Marin St. to reporters Thursday.

Wiles works for TLC Residential, Inc and lives at the home on Marin Street. “We’ve never had any issues like this before,” he said.

The San Rafael City Council approved a 45-day moratorium on large unlicensed group homes on March 7 amid complaints from Gerstle Park and Forbes neighbors about parking problems and zoning requirements. At tonight’s council meeting, city staff will give a status report on whether the moratorium should be extended.

The TLC sober house at 201 Marin St. is home to 11 people–two men, seven women, an assistant manager and Wiles. The bedrooms fit two or three twin beds and has a full kitchen, living room and three and half bathrooms.

Most of TLC’s residents find sober living homes through Bay Area treatment centers after they complete rehab. At the 201 Marin St. house, residents range from students to professionals. Their average age is 32, and they pay between $575 and $1,500 in fees to live on the property, according to Wiles.

Arcuria, an independent organization that helps place individuals in sober living homes, certified Wiles’ house on March 7, one week after it opened.

In order to get certification, officials from Arcuria inspect a site to make sure it abides by all the sober living standards, which include a bed and dresser for each individual, no more than five people per bathroom and a signed agreement to follow house rules.

Some rules at the 201 Marin St. house are a curfew of midnight, no overnight guests and mandatory drug tests. House chores are divided among the residents and everyone must attend house meetings their first 30 days in the house.

There is a “three strikes, you’re out” policy for anyone who violates these rules, but Wiles said that is rarely a problem. “The people who are here, want to be here,” he said.

Wiles believes many of the complaints from neighbors about sober living homes are fuelled by fear and ignorance. He’s worked with TLC for two years and has never experienced as much opposition from a community.

“It’s easy for [sober living houses] to say that everyone is prejudiced against us,” said Amy Likover, member of the Gerstle Park Neighborhood Association. 

The real issue is saturation and the regulation of these homes, Likover said. Another sober home recently opened on 1 Culloden Park Road. This home is operated by Bay Area Sober Living, and can house up to 15 people.

Since these homes do not offer any medical treatment or therapy, they are not subject to the same licensing and regulations as a treatment facility. 

“Everyone that I talked to is very sympathetic to the people in those houses,” Likover said. “We just ask that they be responsible.”

Small and large residential care facilities are not uncommon in San Rafael, but they are licensed by the state and provide nonmedical care and supervision for those living there, according to San Rafael Municipal Code. The new facilities are unlicensed and are not permitted under San Rafael zoning, according to City Attorney Rob Epstein.

At this point, it is not clear what an extended moratorium could mean for the houses that are already full of residents.

“I run a strict home and we save people’s lives,” said one owner of a local sober living home, who wished to remain anonymous. “People in my house are scared to death of what could happen.”

San Rafael Patch will be live blogging from city council tonight.