Vote delayed on recovery house

International Overdose Awareness Day is 4 p.m. Saturday at Cornerstone Chapel, 3939 Granger Road, Medina Township. Hope Recovery Community will remember those who were lost; honor their legacy and offer hope for those in and seeking recovery from addiction. There will be speakers, resource tables and a moment of silence. Candle lighting and the regular Saturday dinner will follow. Photos will be displayed. WADSWORTH — A decision on a proposed group home for individuals recovering from addiction will have to wait after the Wadsworth Planning Commission voted Monday night to table the issue until its Sept. 9 meeting. The facility at 173 N. Lyman St. would be ran by Francis House, which established itself as a nonprofit last year and has worked since 2017 to erect what will be just the second recovery home in Medina County. The organization has held various fundraisers in the area, but the Wadsworth location would be its first physical establishment. No more spoken public input will be taken on the project after a session on Monday that lasted nearly three hours and gave a forum to attendees on both sides of the issue. Those who still wish to make their voices heard have been instructed to contact Planning and Zoning Director Jeff Kaiser by sending a letter to his City Hall office or emailing him at jkaiser@wadsworthcity.org. Emails and letters must be sent by Thursday, Sept. 5, in order to be considered for the Monday, Sept. 9, meeting, officials said. There was no confirmation on whether or not the house will be voted on at that meeting. Kaiser said he felt the recovery house was in compliance with city zoning code but ultimately recommended to table the issue due to one commission member, Mark Sterling, not being present at the meeting and in order to provide time for more discussion. "From a zoning perspective, a recovery home is considered a group home for the handicapped and disabled," he said. "Federal law considers drug and alcohol addiction to be disabilities. Housing for persons in recovery is protected by the Fair Housing Act as well as the Americans With Disabilities Act. "I'm of the opinion that the project is in compliance for the proposed use of transitional housing. Transitional housing is not out of character for this area. It puts the residents within walking distance of stores, City Hall, churches, and in reach of public transportation." Residents and recovery advocates packed City Hall to weigh in on the project, some sharing personal stories in support of opening the home and others fiercely opposing the idea and saying it could lead to dangerous materials falling into the hands of children. David Guthrie, a Wadsworth resident currently in recovery mandated by Medina County's Drug Court program, rejected stigmas and stereotypes that often accompany addiction. "I used to picture an addict as someone under a bridge with a needle in their arm or a brown paper bag," Guthrie said. "I was wrong. We're your doctors, lawyers, engineers, construction workers, nurses and police officers. No one is exempt. Someone in this room who's against this home might find themselves part of our community in the future. "If you approve this, the impact and good it will do will be immeasurable. If you reject it, it won't cut down on crime or overdoses." City Safety Manager Matt Hiscock spoke in support of the project and its location, saying that Wadsworth safety forces have responded to 240 overdoses, 30 of which were fatal, since 2012. "We've known that we've wanted to do more," Hiscock said. "We've been able to bring in more options for in-patient and out-patient treatment. We've been able to form more sober recovery meeting groups. None of these entities have led to a spike in crime. Our city safety forces have no record of a spike in crime. In talking with individuals going through recovery, many of them touch on having problems with transitioning back into society, back into the community. "We need these resources in our city. Not in Medina. Not in Barberton. Here." Dan Rospert and several city residents said they support expanded recovery options in the area but don't like the idea of a facility being located near their homes or in the downtown area near schools and parks. "I feel like we have not been properly informed about this," Rospert said. "I'm not against sober living at all. I'm against a sober living house across from my facility where the kids walk to school. I've talked with several of our police officers and they are totally uninformed about this. One had no idea this was a possibility. "Plus, this is a 501(c)(3). That means we'll be losing property tax dollars and they'll be receiving free city services like police, fire, and snow removal. Do I get an abatement for my taxes? Let's look at another location other than right downtown." Rospert owns Hilliard-Rospert Funeral Home, 171 N. Lyman St. Another resident, Tim McKinzie, presented the commission with a petition that he said had garnered more than 200 signatures in four days opposing the home's location. "This house would be near Lincoln (Elementary School) and many parents with children going there can't be at this meeting because tonight is orientation," he said. "All of these signatures are for a recovery house just not at this location. They're all people in the Lincoln School area. The orientation for the little church preschool is tonight, too. We'd probably have five times as many people here if these parents didn't have to make the orientation." Francis House president Santo Costanzo addressed the commission before and after public comments were heard. Some concerns centered on parking overflow and residents wanting a new dividing fence constructed at the home. He said First Christian Church, 116 E. Boyer St., has offered to help with parking and that he will discuss the idea of a new fence at his next board meeting. "We do have a written agreement with First Christian," Costanzo said. "We chose this location because of the amenities like churches. We want to be near churches and libraries. I want our people to read. There's nine schools in Wadsworth. Where they're strategically located, it's hard to put a house in the city where it wouldn't be near a school. I understand it's not going in my backyard, but our obligation is to get the best location that gives our members the best chance for long-term recovery. We don't want them to be miles away out in the middle of a field. With addiction, loneliness and isolation can be the biggest problem." Public input on the project has been taken since earlier this month, ranging from an open meeting Aug. 7 at Trinity United Church of Christ, 215 High St., to Costanzo and other Francis House officials walking the neighborhood surrounding North Lyman this past weekend to further discuss the house with residents who may have voiced concern previously. Costanzo has publicly stated that Francis House residents will have to be referred to the home by legal, recovery or religious institutions and that they will live there under strict rules including set quiet hours, curfews, ongoing participation in outpatient treatment, refraining from yelling or cursing as well as participation in house meetings and other community groups. Standards set by the National Alliance of Recovery Residences, Ohio Recovery Housing and Ohio Mental Health and Addiction Services would be followed, according to Costanzo's Aug. 7 presentation. Twelve-step meetings, family counseling, group therapy, educational seminars, life skills classes, vocational training, relapse prevention training, physical fitness and worship services would be part of outpatient and wellness services offered through Francis House. A "typical day" for a resident has been described by officials as morning group breakfast, careful track of work and school schedules, daily chores and house meetings and encouragement to keep journals or read during free time. Currently, Medina's Cathy's House, 515 W. Liberty St., is the only live-in recovery home operating in the county. In 2017, Ohio's rate of 39.2 opioid-related deaths per 100,000 people ranked second in the U.S. and was nearly triple the national average of 14.6 deaths. Between 2012 and 2017, deaths across the state involving synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and carafentanyl increased nearly 25-fold from 139 to 3,523. The rate of overdose deaths involving opioid prescriptions rose steadily from 0.7 per 100,000 persons in 1999 to a peak of 8.4 deaths per 100,000 persons in 2017, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. A study by the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment found that individuals recovering from addiction faced significant less risk of relapse, arrest, or homelessness after taking part in some form of a recovery home or halfway house program. Continually speaking with peers and taking part in positive, group-oriented activities were cited in the study as major factors in the improved outcomes. During the Aug. 7 meeting in Wadsworth, a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study was cited that examined the "Oxford House" model of recovery homes, which involves the facility being operated and supervised by its own residents. No increases in crime were observed across 42 recovery home examples. Francis House would employ professional supervisors and not use an Oxford House system, Costanza said. Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.