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PHOENIX - As the statewide investigation into Arizona's sober living homes continues, one rehab facility is making changes to responsibly help those in need.
The owner, Allen King, doesn't hide the fact that he worked for years in a place that he said committed fraud against Native Americans.
He clarifies that it didn't involve him directly, but he has learned a lot from the experience and now wants to help make a positive difference.
Whispering Creek Health consists of townhomes that, in a few hours, will house six patients seeking recovery.
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New sober living home in AZ plans to run differently
As investigators look to crack down on the sober living scheme, the people who need these services the most are finding few options available to them. Now, a new Native American recovery facility is opening and accepting patients. FOX 10's Steve Nielsen reports.
In one room containing three beds, King compares the space to what he saw at the last rehab facility he worked at.
"They had about 6 to 7 people in one room, and the beds were a lot smaller," King said. "I've seen some with bunk beds. They didn't even have drawers, everything shoved underneath the bed. It was pretty bad."
He says it was one of the nearly 200 facilities that lost its funding due to suspensions. Many of the targets in the sober living scheme are Native Americans recruited to live in homes and use Medicaid while the facility bills for services rarely provided.
"I've seen fraud unfold in front of me first hand," King said. "I've seen clients getting misplaced, miscommunication, people who were being taken advantage of."
King says this place will be different. Whispering Creek Health is made for Native Americans, offering 3-bedroom townhomes with more oversight to ensure recovery.
"It's more intimate," King said. "It's more recovery-focused for the people actually staying here in the townhome."
Jacob Allison will call these townhomes his workplace as the cultural coordinator. Just a few years ago, he was in a bad place himself.
"Just depression, drug addiction, alcoholism," Allison said.
He was a patient at a now-closed rehab center and says he wants to do what he can to help people recover now, especially because recovery beds are in short supply.
"I feel like this is a purpose for me," Allison said. "This is an ambition, I love to give back to the people that way because that's what somebody did for me."
King told me that the investigations into other sober living facilities have impacted how they've had to bill for their services. They will now be billing directly through the tribe as a federal vendor instead of going through the state of Arizona.
Read more about FOX 10's investigations into the sober living crisis here.