Concerns for Joshua House
To the Editor:
To whom it may concern
As a member of the Western Clinton County Recreation Authority Board of Directors I am compelled to write questioning the placement of a Drug and Alcohol Facility, Faith / Sober House , Half Way House or what name you care to call this Facility in 214/216 Saint Clair Ave. in Renovo.
This Facility is being placed two doors away from our Center. The Western Clinton County Recreation Authority has been in existence for over 30 years, having taken over the facilities of the former YMCA. The “Rec Center” or more frequently referred to as the “Youth Center”, provides both recreational and educational opportunities through various programs. From swimming, basketball, weightlifting, aerobic exercise, Drug and Alcohol Education with assistance from the West Branch Drug and Alcohol Abuse Commission. And many other endeavors to promote the healthy mind; healthy body concept among our members.
The “Joshua House” concept is not a new or original one. It has been attempted numerous times through the Country. It is based on the religious teachings of the Old Testament, Joshua 24:15, “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” This is a noble principal and concept, but has not proven successful in a Drug and Alcohol / Sober House environment. Even the most ardent true believers who will be honest about it recognize that A.A. and N.A..and other Faith based Recovery Programs have at least 90% failure rates. And the real numbers are more like 95% or 98% or 100% failure rates. Many people who are in recovery require one or more relapses to convince themselves that they really can’t drink or dope any more, not even just a little bit, now and then. They will think that they can just nibble, or “just have one”, and that it will be okay.
Is this “Failure” rate acceptable in our Neighborhood? Is this what we want next to our Facility where our Children come to play, come to learn, come to be safe?
Most of us have been affected by immediate family or close friends that have struggled with drug and/or alcohol abuse. It doesn’t change the fact that these are businesses masquerading as a residential house. They should be treated and zoned as what they are, businesses. By being placed in areas zoned for business for the protection of our children.
I have to question whether the operator of this Facility is licensed to operate it. If so by who? Licensing helps ensure that the operator is qualified to furnish the requisite care and support services the group home residents need. It helps assure that staff is qualified and properly trained, and sets a minimum standard of care.
What will be the occupancy of this residence? For both therapeutic and financial reasons, most halfway houses need 10 to 15 residents to be successful. Most residential zoning will not allow that many unrelated people in one house.
Where will these 10 to 15 residents come from? Mr. Jones claims they will be from Renovo. If this 10 to 15 resident quota is not met from Renovo, will they come from Clinton County? If there is not enough Clinton County residents to maintain the “Soldiers for Christ” profit margin will they bring them from Williamsport? Mr. Jones hometown of Philadelphia? Chicago? New Orleans? Will it become all about the need to “keep those beds” full? Isn’t this similar to what happened in Williamsport in the 1980’s?
When a person stops drinking alcohol suddenly, just up and quits because he or she thinks it’s time to do so and it’s easy to do, the consequences can be deadly. Sudden alcohol cessation can cause hallucinations, convulsions, and even heart seizure that may result in death. This isn’t something to take lightly and is an excellent reason not to try to detox from alcohol in a non-medical facility.
Alcohol detox is a two-phase process. The first phase occurs over a short period of a few days, and it’s during this initial period that the person undergoing detox could experience problems, some of which could be fatal without professional medical intervention. The second and longer phase of alcohol detox occurs over months, as the brain slowly begins to regulate and resume normal functioning. There may be lingering symptoms during the second phase of alcohol detox, but they are not usually life-threatening. The risks of detox for all serious abusers of alcohol are potentially severe enough that alcohol detox should never be attempted alone or in a non-medical environment.
During professional alcohol detox, medications may be prescribed that can make the detox more comfortable and safer for the individual. Such medications help reduce or eliminate cravings, ease anxiety and help the individual transition more gently from an abrupt cessation from drinking. A person can’t just take a prescription pill and detoxes on his or her own, however, as these medications require constant monitoring by medical staff. Will there be 24 hour a day medical staff available? Or will this fall on our local Emergency Services and Hospital?
After professionally-monitored alcohol detox, the individual is ready to embark on long-term recovery. Such therapy often takes place in residential treatment centers and includes one-on-one counseling, group therapy, educational lectures, and other treatment specifically tailored to the individual’s needs. Is this Facility prepared to make this long term commitment? Who will fund this long term treatment?
Anyone addicted to heroin would be foolhardy to attempt to detox from the drug alone. Heroin, one of the world’s most addictive and dangerous drugs is also one of the most difficult addictions to overcome. But stopping without professional medical supervision is not only unsafe – it’s destined for failure in more ways than one.
First, the nervous system of the heroin abuser’s body has become so accustomed to the chronic exposure of the opioid narcotic, that abrupt withdrawal from the drug can cause excruciating and extremely dangerous withdrawal symptoms.
Medically supervised heroin detox is the only way to ensure the safety and well-being of the individual who has made the life-affirming decision to stop using heroin. Again who will provide and pay for this Treatment?
Have these Residents gone through a Complete Detoxification? Normally a person with an addiction is admitted to a Recovery House only after completing detoxification.
The best treatment programs, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), provide a combination of therapies and other services to meet the needs of the individual patient. Although scarce funds often limit the availability of ancillary services, a comprehensive treatment program includes: vocational services, mental health services, medical services, educational services, legal services, financial services, housing/transportation services and family services. How are these needs going to be addressed? Who is going to pay for these services? Most of these are not readily available in Renovo. Will the staffing level at this Facility be adequate to provide these and other services?
As a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the number of treatment centers has been forecasted to burgeon. To what effect does residential rehab centers have on nearby real estate. As addiction treatment centers are planned, a common response of nearby property owners is ‘‘not in my backyard’’ (NIMBY). Using a large American Real Estate Society dataset from central Virginia, it is estimated the impact of substance abuse treatment centers on nearby home prices and liquidity (as measured by time on market). We find that a neighboring treatment center is associated with an 8% reduction in nearby home prices, and that this discount is magnified for treatment centers that specifically treat opiate addiction (as much as 17%). Property rights are protected, not hindered, by zoning. Land values are sustained by residents’ knowledge that they are free from the possibility that another property owner will engage in any of a number of activities that will diminish the surrounding value of nearby properties. That’s why it is reasonable to not allow someone to purchase several homes and put up a factory in the middle of a residential block. It is also reasonable that one should not be allowed to place a treatment facility (i.e., drug rehab) in the middle of a residential block.
Can we afford to have our property devalued to this extent? Would you want this facility in “your backyard”? Why in ours? What besides “Divine Intervention” brought Mr. Jones to Renovo? If this Facility is so acceptable and needed why not save the souls in their own Communities? Mr. & Mrs. Jones currently reside in Jersey Shore with their children, why not begin their quest to save souls in their current home town? Are they planning on moving their family to St. Clair Avenue? If not why, if this environment is deemed acceptable for our children to encounter everyday why not subject their children to these kindred souls that need redemption?
The Western Clinton County Recreation Authority is currently in a major expansion program, how will this affect our efforts? As a 501 3C nonprofit corporation we are required to build our facility up to ADA compliant codes. Since Drug and Alcohol Addictions are defined as “Handicaps” Is this “Joshua House” in compliance with all ADA rules and regulations. Group homes would have to have and should have, ramps, 36″inch wide door openings, toilets, showers and sinks that would accommodate handicapped people. Are these Residents disabled? Is this facility covered under the “Fair Housing Act” requiring Renovo to make a reasonable accommodation to enable this facility in a “Residential Area “This is only required if inhabitants are disabled. If they are labeled Disabled, then shouldn’t this Facility be ADA compliant? They don’t need to get rehabilitated in a nice residential neighborhood. Most of these programs have a low success rate, which makes it perfectly reasonable to keep them confined to areas zoned commercial/institutional. The right to live in a nice normal residential neighborhood should be restored to these people after they have completed a “half-way” program AND are earning enough money to rent or buy a place in the neighborhood on their own — just like all the other residents of our neighborhood have to do. Rehabilitation is good; special rights for people who screwed up royally are not good.
While I applaud Mr. & Mrs. Jones for wanting to do something to help fight this addictive lifestyle, which for many has become a matter of life and death. However, as a Director of our “Youth Center, I also have the responsibility to protect our members from what I know to be dangerous and criminal activity that occurs within these homes, especially when not supervised properly. There IS drug use. There IS alcohol abuse. There IS crime. This behavior should NOT be allowed in residential areas PERIOD. I don’t want to be picking up cigarette butts and hypodermic needles from our property. I don’t want to have to close our doors and windows so as to not hear crude language from those walking down the street without a care in the world about the neighbors they cohabit with. I don’t want to worry that our Facility is going to be broken in to so these people can feed their habits. This is NOT fair to our Members and Community which have worked hard to make our Center a nice, safe place for our members and children. When you have a home where the turnover is weekly/monthly, you simply do NOT get people in there that care about or respect their neighbors and their property. It’s a “holding” place for them until they can decide what they want to do with the rest of their lives or until someone else will take care of them. So Mr. & Mrs. Jones if you are not willing to have this facility in your back yard, I do not want it in ours.
Joshua 24:19: But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.
Thank you.
James P. “Butch” Knauff
Western Clinton County Recreation Authority.
