CLAREMONT — A proposed sober housing facility downtown has as much momentum as ever after a public forum last week, putting it on track to potentially open by the end of the year.
“I think it went well,” Sullivan County Manager Derek Ferland said Friday, about Thursday’s two-hour forum that included several personal stories of recovery and no objections to the downtown facility. “It has not changed the county’s position to move forward.”
Ferland said the timeline now is to complete purchase of the building at 19 Sullivan St., just off Opera House Square, in April with construction possibly starting in May and taking six to eight months, but he cautioned that those estimates are preliminary.
On Monday, county officials will present the plans to the Claremont Planning Board. Ferland said the county does not need Planning Board approval of a site plan but is required to conduct “non-binding consultation” with the board under state law.
The overarching message from those who spoke at the forum was that a sober housing facility is the missing link in the county to help those who have completed treatment programs to reenter society and reduce the likelihood of a relapse. Further, it is a chance for them to become productive in the workforce and reunite with their families, especially those with children.
The benefits go beyond one individual and can repair damaged families and reduce drug use and crime, the speakers said.
“I have a heavy heart when I think of all the people who have gotten sober then relapse because they do not have safe, sober housing,” Whitney Davis, a substance abuse counselor for the county and someone who is in recovery after being incarcerated about 10 years ago.
Davis said she maintained sobriety because she had a support system, but many others don’t. People who get sober are often told, “Now you are on your own,” Davis said.
Most of the roughly 20 people at the forum in the Sugar River Technical Center were county and city officials and some state representatives from the city.
“I think it is important to have a successful operation in Claremont,” said state Rep. Walt Stapleton, R-Claremont.
City resident Michele Pierce gave a personal story of her daughter’s struggle with addiction. At one point, Pierce recounted, she believed her daughter’s addiction was so far beyond rescue that she asked her daughter where she wanted to be buried.
Today, though, thanks to sober housing in Portland, Maine, Pierce said, her daughter is clean, working and has gotten custody of her son back.
“It saved her life,” Pierce said, noting that there is a recovery place across the street from 19 Sullivan St., and around the corner is Remix, an alcohol-free social club — two elements that can aid those in recovery.
“This housing will give folks the chance to walk out of that building to feel fantastic,” Pierce said. “And it is the only thing that will save their lives.”
Sullivan County Commissioner Ben Nelson picked up on something others said about “those people,” who are in recovery and fighting to maintain sobriety.
“These folks are from our community,” Nelson said, mentioning a high school athlete and a nurse he knew of who became addicted. “It is the whole gamut of life.”
Nelson and others said it is not just about sobriety but about reducing criminal activity, helping the local economy and saving taxpayers money.
“If they don’t go back to jail, it saves money,” Nelson said. “If they don’t go back on drugs, it saves money. If they are reunited with their kids, it saves money.”
Ferland said the housing is planned for about 30 former inmates who had nonviolent offenses and successfully completed the treatment program at the jail. He said the housing is only for Sullivan County residents, dispelling the myth of “busloads” coming in from cities to the south.
The estimated $3 million to renovate the stone building that is best known as the longtime location of the Eagle Times will be funded mostly by grants and loans along with $500,000 of county funds that are in the current county budget.
Ferland said the only other approval needed is from the county delegation of state representatives, which he hopes to secure in February.
One speaker, Tyler Barry, said he was “glad” to get arrested because it saved his life. He remains incarcerated but is on work release and said the support of his family has made a difference but many others don’t have that.
“The whole thing missing is sober housing,” Barry said. “When you have no housing, you have no hope, and when you have no hope, you relapse. I do feel this is needed and would be great for the community.”
The Superintendent of the House of Corrections in Unity, Dave Berry, told the forum they have all of the pieces in place such as a clinical team and after care and now believe the county is ready to take the next step to getting people to stay sober.
“I think Sullivan County is really prepared to take on this challenge,” Berry said.
Monday’s Planning Board discussion begins at 7 p.m. in City Council chambers.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
