Come to special hearing Tues 11/17 re ANOTHER GROUP HOME on Centre Hill Ct

Did you know that there is a special request hearing scheduled for Tues, Nov 17 regarding a special use permit for ANOTHER group home on Centre Hill Ct (by Centre Hill Mansion)? If you have an opinion on this issue or if you feel that this is not the best use for real estate […]

November 15, 2009; 1:57 PM • by OTMG

Did you know that there is a special request hearing scheduled for Tues, Nov 17 regarding a special use permit for ANOTHER group home on Centre Hill Ct (by Centre Hill Mansion)? If you have an opinion on this issue or if you feel that this is not the best use for real estate in one of our historic neighborhoods, please attend the hearing at 7:30 p.m., at the Union Train Station, 103 River Street.

***BELOW IS AN EXCERPT FROM A LETTER FROM A RESIDENT TO THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL (with permission). ***

” In addition to declining property values, which I know that you are all aware of, I have great concerns about the request for a special use permit for 22 Centre Hill Ct.

• If even 6 beds are approved in the neighborhood, that will raise our small neighborhood population to 1/3 group home residents, as the current group home at 27 Centre Hill has 14 residents.

• Attached is the link to Virginia Department of Social Services inspections of 27 Centre Hill, owned by the same administrator requesting this special use permit. Over the past 3 years these records show a total of 60 violations, including residents being left alone without staff, not having documentation of administering client medication, & not being licensed from 11/08 thru the last inspection. Inspector has not returned a call to clarify if the house & administrator are yet to meet licensing requirements. The number of violations greatly exceeds the violations received by all other group homes in the city (except 1, owned by Irene Davis , although this house holds 31).

BELOW LINK WILL DIRECT YOU TO THE INSPECTIONS of 27 Centre Hill, “Victory Assisted Living”:

http://www.dss.virginia.gov/printer/facility/search/alf.cgi?rm=Details;ID=32282;search_exact_fips=730

• I believe the Planning Committee was mislead, as they were told & it states in the paperwork, that this house would hold the same population as 27 Centre Hill & that this population is “elderly women who need a home”. The current house has residents as young as in their 20s, with most in their late 40s, early 50s. I believe that planning was also told that the residents are “not insane”. This is true to the degree that they are said to be stable on medication; however most residents have diagnosis that meet the criteria of ‘seriously mentally ill’, such as Schizophrenia.

• In addition, this week, Ms. Barbara Davis also rented 16 Centre Hill Ct. Our best case scenario is if she resides there personally, although there is a strong likelihood that this house will, at a minimum, become an auxiliary administrative house to 27 Centre Hill, as staff & residents come to & fro. Based on this, without the approval of the special use permit, we will already have two houses in Centre Hill affiliated with group homes, please do not make it three.

• Please notice below, the defined resident requirements by the Virginia Department of Social Services, listing 2 types of ” Assisted Living Facilities “, (renamed in 2007 from it’s former name “Adult Care Residence’). The primary residents of such houses are the severely mentally ill. The first type of “ Assisted Living Care” is appropriate for persons with “significant behavior problems “. In the second type, “Residential”, the residents are basically meeting the status of a Boarding Home. (the definitions are pulled from the same website given above)

Assisted Living Care
Level of service provided by an assisted living facility for adults who require assistance with at least two activities of daily living . Included in this level of service are individuals who require assistance because of significant behavior problems . Facilities licensed for the assisted living level of care also may provide care to residents who require only the residential level of care.

Residential
Level of service provided by an assisted living facility for adults who require only minimal assistance with activities of daily living.

Please take all of this information under serious consideration before you vote on Tuesday. Do not let it be thought that we are an intolerant neighborhood, as we are not; however we do feel that we have met our group home population quota. In considering ‘mainstreaming’ as they do in schools, it is actually better for group home residents to be less concentrated in their living environment.

In agreement as neighborhood action committee, a large group of homeowners came together in a meeting last week with our representative to express concerns & opposition to this type of growth for our neighborhood’s future. ”

November 15, 2009 1:57 PM 0