by Richard Prior
Staff Writer
Getting free of addiction is only half the battle. Staying sober is the rest of the struggle, one that usually lasts a lifetime.
Those ongoing struggles are made even more difficult for those with no place to go but the old neighborhood, where it’s far too easy to fall into old habits.
“When people go through treatment, one of the worst things is for them to go back to their old places, where drugs are readily available and maybe they got in trouble,” said Randy Jennings, senior vice president of operations for Gateway Community Services.
The problems continue multiplying if the person going through recovery is also homeless.
“They can’t just go into any housing,” said Jennings. “Lots of people who go through treatment programs are homeless and may have criminal records. With the background checks that everyone does, that means they can’t just go rent a place.”
The solution was for Gateway to provide its own housing. Ground was broken on two Bridier Street homes in June. They should be ready for the inaugural group of tenants in about a month.
The driving forces behind those new homes — and perhaps as many as five more — have been Charles Skinner, of The Charles Skinner Co., and Susan McDonald, an attorney with Rogers Towers, Jennings said.
“They both have been pushing the need for housing,” he said. “Susan’s been pushing Gateway for the last three, four years to write grants.”
For their efforts on behalf of the emerging Independence Village, Skinner and McDonald were presented Gateway’s Community Winner Awards on Oct. 21.
Skinner is president of Gateway’s Board; McDonald is vice president.
The two two-story buildings that are almost complete will provide housing for 16 residents.
Each resident has his own bedroom, little sitting room, bathroom and shower. The group shares a kitchen, living room and dining room.
Funding has already been received for a four-suite unit for
eight clients. Construction on that building should begin in December or January.
Gateway received nearly $400,000 for the project through the Emergency Services and Homeless Coalition. Skinner
and McDonald also led the drive to raise matching funds.
The City donated the land for Independence Village.
“The key is Susan pushed us
to get the housing; Charlie helped us develop the site
plan for making the best use
of the land,” Jennings said.
Gateway still needs to raise $100,000 in matching dollars for the four-suite unit.
The organization also has been placed number one on the Homeless Coalition’s priority list for four more houses. That grant request was for more than $800,000, which would require Gateway to raise another $660,000.
Residents have to be homeless and they have to pay rent based on a sliding scale.
“This isn’t a handout,” said Jennings. “It does allow people to make that transition easier.
“It’s still a struggle, but
we want to provide a safe environment for them to continue their sobriety. It’s like a community, a community of people in recovery.”