(Michigan City, IN) - The public will be given a chance to offer feedback on a proposed recovery home for La Porte County offenders with substance abuse issues.
Two town hall meetings are planned later this month at the former St. Anthony Hospital on the city’s northwest side.
Across the street from there is the site of the proposed respite home, which would hold up to 20 offenders placed there by the courts.
Tom Nazimek, who lives next door to where the facility would go, told the city council this week his concerns include security in the heavily residential neighborhood with a school and school bus stop nearby.
“A better location can and must be found,” he said.
The La Porte County Drug Free Partnership is involved in the effort to build what would be the first respite home in the county.
According to the LCDFP, close to $1 million of in-kind donations have been collected already to help pay for construction while funding such as state and federal grants would be sought to go toward operating expenses.
The La Porte County Council has pledged $750,000 to help offset construction costs. Residents would stay for up to two years while receiving additional case management and other help like job training to assist in their recoveries.
Supporters believe such facilities assist in recovering from drug and alcohol abuse because offenders once released from jail are not returning to their original environments where temptation could still exist.
According to LCDFP, the home would be run through the Indiana Department of Mental Health. The town hall meetings are scheduled April 30 at 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.
