Ex-con blog draws mixed feelings

COMMUNITY: Internet forum addresses public concerns, seeks fair solutions

By Jon Meyer
jmeyer@idahopress.com

BOISE— The topic of transitional home placement around the Treasure Valley entered the blogosphere Nov. 12, encouraging “creative solutions” from anyone with an Internet connection.

And a week after its appearance, the Blogger.com discussion was already rife with diverse opinions and ideas from concerned citizens and area legislators.

Before the conception of the “Idaho Housing for Released Prisoners” blog by Ray Tussing, the main forum for halfway house debate took the form of public meetings held in Nampa and Boise.

These meetings between concerned neighbors and house founders, like New Hope Community Health, protested placement of the homes in family neighborhoods, specifically without notifying residents.

New Hope has had issues raised by neighbors in the past about its practices of placing the facilities in neighborhoods without telling current residents. A similar organization, Supportive Housing and Innovative Partnerships, Inc., still maintains the “stealth” approach, said founder end Executive Director Melanie Curtis. However, New Hope changed its policy last week in favor of more transparency.

The problem with these forums and the media coverage that ensued, Tussing said, was the lack of reliable information that was easy to access for the public.

“These organizations and the IDOC need to work together with the community to come up with a fair and equitable solution,” Tussing said. “It might be tough, it might be hard, but I think it is possible to get people working together and focused on the problem.

New Hope changes policy

In an announcement on his blog last week, New Hope co-founder Dennis Mansfield announced a change in the company’s policy. He said that in the future they will notify appropriate city officials before the opening of a new halfway house, and encourage the city officials to notify affected neighborhood associations.

Ex-con crimes vary

At one New Hope home in Nampa on Stonehedge Drive, the former inmates living there have records that include a variety of crimes, including convictions for attempted grand theft/receiving stolen property; aggravated battery/property injury; robbery; and grand theft.
At another New Hope home, on Aster Place in Boise, convictions include four cases of controlled substance possession; two cases of burglary; and a case of possession of forged instruments/ bank notes.

SHIP opened a home for recovering substance abusers in Tussing’s neighborhood, in the Five Mile Road and Ustick area of Boise, about two years ago. Then, around June of this year, New Hope followed suit with a home of its own, Tussing said.

“What happened is when the second home came in, I got kind of concerned,” Tussing said. “You know, now you have no idea when a third one may come in, or a fourth.”

Boise mayor joins talks

When Tussing spearheaded the blog discussion, he invited several area dignitaries from around Boise and Idaho to weigh in on the issues. One of the first to respond by e-mail was Boise Mayor Dave Bieter. His response was promptly posted for public view.

Bieter wrote that because of federal protection applying to the homes, any regulatory action taken by local government “must be consistent with actions we would take regarding any singlefamily home.”

He also asked for patience from residents while the city’s legal department studied the issue, placing “the livability of our city and the safety of all its citizens” as a priority.

Home organizers sound off

Both New Hope and non-profit SHIP claim federal protection of their homes and policies by federal fair housing laws.

That is not to say that the organizers of the facilities are not willing to work for a solution with the public.

Curtis responded that she was “actually impressed” with the content of the blog and that she “liked the idea of working together to develop a creative solution.”

“I think anytime we work together on this issue is a good thing. These people need somewhere to go,” she said.

New Hope administrator Larry Durkin said he was thrilled about the new community dialogue and that “the whole idea of people sharing feelings ... with the idea of reaching new solutions is a good thing,” for everybody involved.

SHIP has provided work and housing services to willing addicts seeking recovery since August 2001. It operates nine “Clean and Sober” houses in the Boise area.

In a similar effort, New Hope utilizes 12 facilities around the Treasure Valley. The main difference is that while SHIP only accepts people with substance abuse issues, New Hope takes IDOC referrals for inmates leaving incarceration, rejecting only sex offenders and violent offenders from applying.

While Tussing raises issues with the policies surrounding the halfway house placement, he sees the need for the homes and does not seek to remove them from the community.

“I’m not the kind of person who takes an absolute stance against it,” he said. “I’m not comfortable, but I just don’t think the way it’s done is equitable.”
Find a link to the blog today at idahopress.com