Property assessments have fallen slightly in an upscale Roanoke neighborhood because men are staying in a house there while they receive treatment elsewhere to try to stop getting high.
They live in a large home in Oak Hill established as a sober-living residence last year by a national provider of opiate treatment services.
Some of those who were already living in the neighborhood southwest of downtown came to see it as a bad fit soon after it opened. They reported that the home has generated substantial vehicular traffic along two streets that end in cul-de-sacs, including at least three ambulance calls, as well as unfamiliar vehicles arriving late at night and multiple visits by police. In addition, all of the occupants are on short-term stays of a month or two and either arenât available or interested in engaging socially, longer-term residents said.