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| A Google view of the area where Resouces for Human Development would like to locate an adolescent crisis short-stay residential facility. |
A teen mental health crisis facility run by Resources for Human Development (RHD) was denied the two variances needed for it to operate in the 200 block of North 13th Street Monday evening by Easton's Zoning Hearing Board.
While the board offered no explanation for the denial of a variance for placement in the city of a mental health care facility and for parking requirements, about 20 neighboring residents of the mansion property, which lies between between Spring Garden and Bushkill streets were in the audience for Monday evening's meeting, with five speaking against placing the facility in that location.
Robert Fehnel, whose Bushkill Street home abuts 241 North 13th St., said that he feels putting it in that location isn't a good fit with the neighborhood.
"We certainly do feel our children do need such a facility, but we feel there are some inconsistencies," he said. "How do you think this will affect...our property values?...It's an institution. It's not a day care center."
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| Residents opposed to the mental health care facility are sworn in at the Easton Zoning Hearing Board meeting Monday evening. |
Esther Guzman, director of the West Ward Neighborhood Partnership (WWNP), also spoke against allowing the crisis home to operate at that location.
"We're concerned the neighbors didn't get a chance to meet with the agency to see what they do," she said. "(The WWNP) has purchased some property around the corner, and we're concerned on how we'll market them with a rehab center around the corner."
Neighbor Susan Kummer alleged that caregiving employees of other RHD facilities "smoke, take drugs, and drink" while working, and said, "We don't need this around our children."
She cited an Express-Times print article from this past Sunday that detailed recent neighbor complaints at a group home that houses two autistic adults in Lower Nazareth Township and at a Williams Township facility from four years ago.
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| A number of residents opposed to locating a teen mental health crisis short-term care home in their neighborhood brought their children to the meeting. |
Additionally, the article stated that RHD has been cited nine times in four years at other Northampton County facilities it runs. There are nine such facilities, which provide a wide array of human services, in the county. Four of the citations were aimed at one of RHD's facility's in Lower Nazareth, the most serious of which was a staff member failing to call 911 when a client was found unresponsive, but the other violations seem minor, such as a client missing a prostate health screening and another mistakenly paying for a meal that was supposed to be included in the cost of services. All the cited probems have been corrected by the organization, according to state records, the article noted.
Kummer's next door neighbor, Linda Diadello, said she agreed with Fehnel, that a mental health crisis facility is needed, but "not there."
"I just think it's a family neighborhood, and I just think is should stay that way," she said.
Eileen Fehnel said she has a brother who was institutionalized due to mental health issues.
"I understand the pain. But it doesn't have to be in our neighborhood. My house is right there. We'll hear everything," she said, in tears. "I'm almost begging you to reconsider. We've been here our whole life, and this is our home."
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| Jim Fouts, program director for Resources for Human Development crisis residence, left, and representative attorney Blake Marles, right, testify about the company's intentions at the Easton Zoning Hearing Board meeting Monday evening. |
"This is not a group home. This is a home for kids that are not abjudicated," said Jim Fouts, program director for RHD crisis residence. "They're not coming out of the court system. It's very voluntary. Substance abuse can't be the main issue.
"These are not violent, dangerous kids," Fouts added. "They'd affect the others. They'd affect the entire program. We want this place to work. We want this place to work well."
Fouts said the goal of the program is to help teens avoid hospitalization. Clients are referred by schools and other mental health professionals. RHD helps such patients gain coping skills, learn relaxation techniques, and gain negotiation skills, as they assess them to determine what futher treatment is appropriate before they move on to an outpatient program.
"The goal is to get them in and out of there as quickly as possible," Fouts said, adding that the the crisis home would be staffed by five to six mental health professionals during the day, and two to three at night at the eight-bed co-ed temporary residence.
The 7726-square-foot mansion, formerly occupied by cardiologist Thomas Little, has been vacant for about a year and a half. The RHD plan would keep the exterior of the building the same, and the interior would need little renovation. Additionally, their occupancy would save the property from becoming apartments, though the two real estate agents involved in the sale contract testified the space isn't readily renovatable or convertible.
Additionally, Little's son read a letter to the board from the doctor noting that the Easton Area School District has no official policy on referring suicidal students to a local mental health program, though the Wilson Area School District does have guidelines.
Since RHD also consults with various public agencies, "their mental health policies may prove invaluable to our schools," Little wrote.
The layout and comfortable, home-like aesthetics of the turn-of-the-century mansion are part of the reason RHD chose the property, Fouts said.
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| A real estate listing photo of 241 North 13th Street, in Easton's West Ward. The property has been vacant and on the market for the past year and a half. |
"We're not going to be changing anything outside," he said. "If you don't feel safe, you're not going to talk about your problems and try to solve them."
RHD representatives testified that the property already has sufficient parking for its needs, noting that the teen clients would not be allowed to drive while in residence, so only the staff would need vehicle parking.
But with a denial of the zoning variance, the point became moot.
Representing RHD, lawyer Blake Marles, said RHD would be willing promise the city to restrict current and future use to adoescent treatment, as outlined.
"We certainly understand the neighbors concerns," Marles said. "(It's common that) when social services come up, people are in favor of it, but just not in their neighborhoods."
He said the rejection of the idea by local residents might be due to misunderstanding.
"This is a different type of facility," he said. "We're not talking about a group home."
After the board's decision, Marles said it is uncertain whether RHD will appeal the city ruling.
"It's really hard to place this kind of facility," he said. "There's always an objection. There's always a neighborhood. We had a facility on 20 acres, and people objected."
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