Bill will Lift California’s Ban on Funding for Clean and Sober Housing

SAN FRANCISCO — Backed by hundreds of supporters at San Francisco’s City Hall — including Mayor Lurie and District Attorney Brooke Jenkins — Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) unveiled legislation Thursday that would open the door to more drug-free housing options for people recovering from addiction.

Assembly Bill 255 would allow local governments to use up to 25% of state homelessness housing funds to support sober living programs—an option that’s currently off-limits under California law.

The bill takes aim at a major flaw in the state’s “Housing First” policy, which was adopted in 2016 to lower barriers to housing. That model prohibits programs receiving state funds from requiring sobriety—even for people who want to live in a clean and sober environment.

“With fentanyl and other deadly drugs taking lives every day, we can’t ignore the needs of people who are ready to get clean and stay clean,” said Haney. “We should be supporting recovery, not standing in the way of it.”

Haney’s bill is sponsored by San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, the Bay Area Council, and the Salvation Army. Supporters say AB 255 would provide desperately needed housing for thousands of Californians working toward sobriety—a population that’s often left with no good options under current rules.

“Every day, city workers talk to people struggling on our streets and offer them opportunities to come inside and access the support they need. But to succeed, we must be able to offer people real help, and by expanding abstinence-based options for those in the midst of their recovery journey, this bill will be a key tool in doing that,” said Mayor Daniel Lurie. “I’d like to thank Assemblymember Haney for authoring this legislation and for his leadership on this issue.”

The measure doesn’t just create more choices for supportive housing, it also offers a safety net. If someone in a sober living environment relapses, they won’t be kicked out. Instead, the bill directs them to detox and peer support services in a harm reduction based housing to help them stabilize and keep moving forward.

“People who want recovery shouldn’t have to live next to active drug use,” Haney said. “Sober housing works because it builds a community of accountability, compassion and shared commitment to staying clean.”

AB 255 passed the Assembly Housing Committee unanimously and cleared the Health Committee with bipartisan support. It now heads to the Appropriations Committee.