WESTLAKE, Texas — Editor's note: The attached video is from a report in December 2019 about an Elgin woman getting her life back together after battling addiction.
U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez ruled on Tuesday that a sober living facility will be able to operate in a gated neighborhood in Westlake, Texas, according to KVUE's media partners at the Austin American-Statesman.
According to the Statesman, the ruling grants federal housing protections to Harmony Haus Westlake LLC, a sober living facility that provides a program for men recovering from drug and alcohol addiction.
The facility is located in the Parkstone neighborhood off of the Capital of Texas Highway.
The founder of Harmony Haus, Daniel Ragette, said the verdict was "trail blazing" and will set a precedent for other sober living facilities, according to the Statesman.
The Statesman reported that Judge Rodriguez found that the residents of the Harmony Haus are afforded the same protections as other disabled persons under the Federal Housing Act and that Harmony Haus' 12-resident model would not create hardship for Parkstone's residents.
Parkstone's residents have generally been supportive of the group home, according to the Statesman, but some shared concerns of lowering property values due to the facility.
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