Bill > SB1047

This bill, titled the Community Well-Being, Recovery Housing, and Family Stabilization Act, establishes a new framework for addressing issues related to homelessness, substance-use disorder, and mental illness by prioritizing a public-health approach over criminalization. It introduces a non-criminal warning and referral system for individuals encountered on public property, progressing from a verbal warning and referral for a first offense, to a written warning and referral for a second, and a mandatory referral to a Community Behavioral Health Center (CBHC) for a third, explicitly prohibiting arrest, citation, or incarceration for these offenses. The bill also sets standards for recovery housing, which is defined as structured, substance-free residential housing that supports recovery, and specifically includes provisions for family recovery housing designed for pregnant women or mothers with children, offering family-centered, trauma-informed services. The Department of Human Services will oversee the implementation, including establishing recovery housing standards and convening a multidisciplinary advisory team, with the goal of integrating CBHCs with recovery housing programs and ensuring that no constitutional rights are violated, all to be implemented within existing resources and taking effect on July 1, 2026.

Health and Social Services

http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=1047&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill