'It's a crisis': New Mexicans return from Arizona with trauma as trust is broken by sober living fraud
‘These are the horror stories we’re hearing’
Back in March, Rep. Ruben Gallego ... held a roundtable with concerned Indigenous leaders.
Gallego, who represents Arizona's third congressional district, is well aware of the sober living scheme plaguing the Indigenous community.
"I think the state is to be blamed for not providing the oversight and regulation. I don’t blame them for trying to get these services. These services are very important," he said.
...
"I’ve heard stories about people being in rodent-infested rooms or people being neglected to the point where they’re found in their feces. These are the horror stories we’re hearing," Gallego said.
Coming out of the roundtable, what are his solutions now to stopping this scheme from happening?
He answers, "Well, number one, I do think that Governor Hobbs is making the right step by putting a task force together. I also do think that the sober living facilities that are doing this right now have to have higher inspections, more active inspections to make sure number one, that they’re actually providing services. Number two, that the people that are there, are there voluntarily, because this is a voluntary situation."
The situation faced by federal, tribal, state, county and city law enforcement agencies is always a challenge in finding the missing.
"Many of them are found in different jurisdictions and being able to find the correct jurisdiction, reach out to them and have them reach back, it sounds very simple but unfortunately with the limited amount of time and staff on tribal land, even off tribal land, it becomes even more and more difficult," Gallego said.
Source:
Just Lum, FOX10 Phoenix