TOWN OF MUKWONAGO, Wis. — Dozens of Mukwonago families are raising concerns about how a local group home expanded into a drug and alcohol recovery center beyond what town leaders have been given to approve.
Watch Rebecca Klopf's report in the video player below:
Neighbors say Legacy Recovery Center moved into a million-dollar home in the town of Mukwonago late last year. The company first went to the town to get approval to operate a group home, then went to the state for permission to be a medically monitored facility. Neighbors say that request went beyond what town leaders were asked to approve.
Their concerns led dozens of families to form a group called Concerned Families of Mukwonago.
"As a mom, you get concerned, and you want to ask questions," Alicia Hartman of Concerned Families of Mukwonago said. "I had never heard of a drug and alcohol recovery center being in a neighborhood."
In a press release published by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in May, Legacy Recovery Center said it planned to open an eight-bed behavioral health facility in Mukwonago and would eventually expand it to a 20-bed facility.
"There is a loophole or gap in the review process where they can apply for additional license to the state afterward from a group home to a medically monitored facility," said Toby Hartman, spokesperson for Concerned Families of Mukwonago.
I went to the home to see if I could get answers, but no one came to the door.
State Rep. Chuck Wichgers also got involved, sending two letters to the Department of Health Services questioning the application for a group home and sharing multiple correspondences questioning the process.
In Arizona, Legacy also operated a group home. But the city of Mesa said Legacy expanded its services beyond what they had agreed to, and Mesa pulled its permission to operate. Legacy is now suing the city for $3.3 million, saying the city violated the Fair Housing Act and slowed down its expansion into Wisconsin.
Neighbors in Mukwonago say the situation in Arizona is a potential blueprint for what could happen in their community.
"Is there a bait and switch? Are people coming in through the front door in the state and coming back through the side door to run their business after the fact?" Toby Hartman said.
We reached out to Legacy Recovery Center and did not hear back.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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