Plans progressing to fill home
A sober living house in downtown Bellefontaine could begin accepting residents by June after a recent closing on the property, the project’s administrator said Thursday.
“Based on where I am with the repairs, a good realistic date to move people in would be June 1,” said Jon Brown, executive director of Residential Administrators that will oversee the recovery house for the Mental Health Drug and Alcohol Board of Logan and Champaign Counties.
The agency bought the four-bedroom 216 E. Chillicothe Ave. home for $180,000 using money made available through the Ohio Department of Mental Health Drug and Alcohol Services for recovery housing.
Mr. Brown said he has still to make certain repairs, including roof work, an upgrade to the electrical system, some asbestos removal in the basement, replacing some windows and installing additional smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
He also said members of the committee overseeing the project have been meeting with any neighbors who have expressed a concern regarding the project.
“Sometimes when people hear recovery housing, what they hear is addiction and not the idea of recovery,” Mr. Brown said. “We want to assure the neighbors this will be a valuable resource to the community.
“They are going to see the tenants living here are no different than anyone else in the community, except for the fact that alcohol and drugs are not a part of this household. That’s not always the case with other houses in the community.”
Read complete story in Friday’s Examiner.
CLICK HERE to subscribe today!
WEB EDITION STARTING AT $9.50 FOR 5 WEEKS!