Over 230 Recovery Homes Crowd Rural Ohio—Locals Cry Foul Over Harassment, Foul Language, and Frayed Nerves
“Why don’t you suck my—” (you know the rest). That’s just one of the vulgar, explicit insults a South Point woman says her family is subjected to on a near-daily basis—and the source, she claims, is right next door at a local addiction recovery home run by OVP (Ohio Valley Physicians).
The woman lives next to one of the more than 230 known rehab and recovery facilities packed into rural Lawrence, Scioto, and Adams Counties—an explosion of treatment centers that’s sparked growing concern among neighbors, local leaders, and even law enforcement.
“I shouldn’t have to sit on my front porch and be screamed at by people calling me names and harassing my dogs,” the woman told deputies. “My grandson is starting to repeat the language these people are yelling.”
She says the harassment has gone on for four months, with both residents and staff of the rehab facility allegedly hurling profanities at her and her daughter-in-law. One staff member even told her family to “shut the f— up, b—-!” when they asked for the harassment to stop, according to the police report.
When she called OVP directly to complain? They hung up on her. Repeatedly.
🚬 “MOVE THE SMOKING AREA!” – One Woman’s Plea
The woman isn’t asking for the moon. She just wants the smoking area moved to the other side of the building, away from her front porch. That’s where she says the shouting and name-calling happens—and where her peace of mind has gone up in smoke.
Deputies confirmed there were no direct threats, but advised they’d file a report and speak to OVP management. Still, they noted that name-calling and cussing—however vulgar—isn’t a crime.
And for many rural residents, that’s the problem: recovery centers are popping up in neighborhoods with little oversight or community input, bringing challenges that don’t show up in glossy brochures about healing and second chances.
🏚️ TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING?
The Ohio River Valley has become a hotspot for rehab facilities, with estimates putting at least 230 recovery homes across just three counties. Proponents say the centers are essential for battling the opioid epidemic. Critics say the sheer volume and lack of regulation are harming the very communities they claim to serve.
“This is becoming the wild west of recovery housing,” one community activist said. “We’re not against helping people—but where’s the oversight? Where’s the accountability when a neighbor gets verbally assaulted by the very people these places are supposed to be helping?”
😡 NEIGHBORS FED UP, ASK: WHO’S WATCHING THE WATCHERS?
As one local put it: “If a daycare center was allowing its kids to scream profanity at neighbors and harass animals, we’d shut it down in a heartbeat. But because it’s a rehab, we’re supposed to just take it?”
Lawrence County officials have not yet commented on this specific incident, but similar complaints have begun to pile up—suggesting that this may be far from an isolated issue.
