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Group hopes to engage recovery homes in city
YOUNGSTOWN
An increase in recovery homes in the city has prompted a group of residents affiliated with the Alliance for Congregational Transformation In Our Neighborhoods to examine how the homes are regulated and determine the quality of housing they provide.
Jack Daugherty, the neighborhood stabilization director for the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. and the organizer of ACTION’s subcomittee on group homes, said the members are collecting public records to better understand how the homes operate.
“We’re looking at different operators, looking at how the system works, how they open, what’s involved in running them, how individuals are referred to group homes through various agencies,” Daugherty said.
Recovery homes are facilities meant to provide sober and healthy living spaces to individuals who are recovering from drug and alcohol use.
However, as new recovery homes open in the region, some communities have responded by moving to block future facilities.
In June, the Youngstown Planning Commission voted 4-2 against opening a home on the city’s North Side in response to a petition from neighbors.
In Poland Village, the council attempted to pass legislation that would make it illegal for group homes — including recovery homes — to open within 500 feet of each other.
Daugherty said the subcommittee isn’t looking to ban or limit recovery homes, but to ensure they are operating as intended.
“They’re an important form of housing in our neighborhoods for folks with mental health disabilities and for those recovering from addiction. Those folks need good housing like anyone else,” Daugherty said. “We’re looking to address the housing quality issues that can not only create a negative impression in the surrounding neighborhoods, but also have negative impacts on the individuals who live there.”
The group’s next meeting will be 5:30 p.m. Aug. 15 at Martin Luther Church on Youngstown’s South Side.