"Lake Worth Has Big Problem With No Easy Answers"*

Below are excerpts from a hard-hitting editorial about 'sober homes' in the recent edition of The Lake Worth Herald. This is a problem that adversely affects the City and every single person and business here. Below are excerpts from the editorial:

     It seems the term “Sober Homes” is offensive. During the June 7 Lake Worth City Commission meeting, Commissioner Scott Maxwell said it was no longer acceptable to use the term “Sober Home” when describing “Halfway Houses” or “Rehabilitation Facilities.” It seems there has been a lawsuit filed somewhere.
     Many of the facilities, which have popped up everywhere, Lake Worth, Delray, Lantana, Greenacres and the list goes on and on, have created uncomfortable living conditions for residents in these neighborhoods.
     Heroin overdoses have become a plague in Lake Worth [emphasis added], and with them, the problems that go along with addiction have multiplied in the city. Drug dealing, burglaries, home invasions, car jackings, murders and other crimes are on a rise and can be directly related to heroin addiction.
     These problems are not unique to Lake Worth but it seems Lake Worth has become “Ground Zero” for heroin. This social problem is not just a problem for law enforcement, it is a problem for all residents of the city and until a solution is found, it will only deteriorate.
     Politicians and residents who bury their head in the sand are only contributing to the problem. There is no solution to the problem that will happen overnight.
     Addiction is a disease and it seems the accepted practice of insurance companies to feed the “facilities” only adds to the problem. Federal regulations prohibit discrimination and this has become the stumbling block to regulation of these facilities.

[and. . .]

     Lake Worth will soon have wireless cameras and “shot spotters” to help law enforcement battle the crime that accompanies the heroin trade. Rivera Beach and Belle Glade have the cameras and shot spotters and they are very effective. What has Lake Worth become.

[and. . .]

     The greed of many of the sober home operators is presenting unparalleled problems for the commission and residents of this great city. Lake Worth needs economic development programs aimed at improving the conditions in the city and it needs them now. It needs jobs and it needs them now. Most of all, it needs to find a way to deal with the scourge of facilities that are bringing more trouble than they are worth.

*To subscribe to the Herald use this link or pick up the print edition at the City's newsstand at 600 Lake Ave., downtown, across the street from the Cultural Council.