State must weigh ramifications of closing adult-care home

If the state of Ohio decides to shut down the House of Hope on Illinois Avenue in Youngstown, we expect the Ohio Department of Health to take direct and permanent responsibility for the adults who are cared for in the facility. It is not an unreasonable expectation given what happened to this region when Woodside Receiving Hospital for the mentally ill closed in 1999.

The residents, many from out of town, were released into the city and ended up on the streets. The mayor and council at the time had warned that without the proper care and assistance, the hospital patients would be lost and could become a menace to society.

There were incidents of people working downtown being accosted by those who were sleeping on the sidewalks around City Hall or under the Market Street Bridge.

We aren’t suggesting that closing House of Hope will result in a replay of the Woodside shut down, but the residents must receive proper care. If the facility is deemed by the state to be in violation of regulations and standards and unfit for occupancy, then ODH must bear that responsibility. It should not fall on any local agencies or governments.

Sincere efforts are being made to address all the violations identified by state inspectors and to respond to the complaints from the Area Agency on Aging 11, especially the ombudsman John Saulitis. It was a series of articles in The Vindicator that revealed the extent of the problems at the House of Hope and the citations that had been issued by the state.

Since the publication of the stories, people in the community have come to the assistance of the new owners, even while the state pursues an injunction to close down the house.

Whether the upgrades that have been made or are being made meet with ODH’s approval remains to be seen.

Cleaning, painting

Last Sunday, the newspaper detailed some of the help that is being provided, including the cleaning and painting of the first floor by Ohio Teen Challenge. Lowe’s sent 40 gallons of paint and other materials. Bruce Paulette, who sits on the board of House of Hope and is director of development for Teen Challenge, and Pastor Roy Barnett led the effort.

Budd Brothers, who also sits on the House of Hope board, donated an eight-burner stove, and he and Paulette provided a freezer, three ovens, new steam tables and new food trays.

Owner/administrator Charlene Crissman and Lisa Lloyd, administrator and co-director of care, insist that things are changing for the better from when the home was owned by someone else. In addition, the legal status has changed from limited liability to nonprofit, which will make it eligible for grants and financial aid.

To be sure, having a state inspector say conditions at the home present a “real and present danger” does give pause. So, it is up to the those who manage House of Hope and the members of the board of directors to show that the residents will receive the level of care that the Ohio Department of Health deems necessary.

In the end, however, the state has the responsibility to address the needs of the troubled adults should it decide to close the home.