Sep 9, 2002 By Steve Ostrosky 6 min read

JEFFERSON TWP. – It’s like d?j? vu all over again for Sharon Taylor of Washington. Almost two years ago, Taylor attempted to open a halfway house for men recovering from drug and alcohol addiction in Waynesburg, but she rescinded an offer on the Sixth Street property after a lengthy zoning battle with the borough and concerned residents.

Taylor, 60, who operates the Turning Point halfway house for women in Washington, said she plans to open a halfway house for men at 109 Madison St. in the Greene County township by the end of the year, an action that has raised the ire of many residents.

The home, to be named Taylor House, would accept men who are coming out of rehabilitation facilities for drug and alcohol addiction but whom therapists have determined are not ready to return home. Taylor said, on average, men would stay three to six months at the home.

Taylor sent a letter to Greene County Human Services administrator Karen Bennett and county Commissioner Farley Toothman, dated July 10, updating them of her plans to look for a new site after she abandoned plans for the Waynesburg location. When plans were scrapped, Taylor said, the county offered to help her find another site to provide her services.

She said she did not expect to encounter much opposition to her plans, as the township does not have a zoning ordinance and the home’s previous owners used the house as a site for disabled children.

But she was clearly mistaken.

Angry residents packed a recent meeting of the Greene County Human Services Advisory Board and the monthly meeting of the township supervisors, voicing their concern about the type of people that might stay at such a place.

Greg Niverth of Jefferson, who attended the board meeting, said Jefferson and Morgan townships are beginning to grow, and plans for a halfway house could affect future infrastructure development.

“What’s next, a methadone clinic?” he asked.

He said that many people in halfway houses are sex offenders or criminals, whether it is a halfway house for people leaving the prison system or drug and alcohol rehab centers.

Taylor, he said, had other locations to choose from in Greene County but selected this site because there is no zoning. He also accused her of not being forthright with the community about her intentions before moving forward with the home purchase, saying local residents should have been included at the beginning of the process and not near the end.

“I don’t think she’ll abandon her house now, but we will never co-exist peacefully,” he said. “I have already heard people tell me that if she moves in down there, they will put their houses up for sale, put up fences or fight this forever.”

Taylor, who attended the advisory board meeting but said she was asked not to attend the supervisors’ meeting, said the comments from the public are age-old stigmas attached to people who abused drugs and alcohol.

“They think they are mean people and are going to harm their children, and it isn’t the case,” she said. “These are clean and sober people who want to get better.”

She said the Turning Point has experienced no incidents in the seven years she has been there, and she expects no problems with the proposed Jefferson site.

Residents who use drugs or alcohol while at the halfway house will be asked to leave, and no criminals will be admitted to the location. Residents will be routinely tested for the presence of drugs or alcohol and will be required to work, attend classes or perform community service activities at least 20 hours per week, according to Taylor.

Taylor, in recovery herself, first became involved with Pat Lutes, owner and executive director of Turning Point, when she volunteered for her home for women with eating disorders. Turning Point was licensed as a drug and alcohol halfway house for women in December 1995 and began with eight beds. In November 2000, the number of beds doubled.

People are referred to Turning Point from workers at rehab centers, but Taylor said an extensive assessment is done before a decision is made to accept a resident. She said the same protocol would be used for the Taylor House.

Insurance typically does not cover stays at halfway houses, so the single county authority in each county typically fits the bill until welfare or managed care can cover the costs. Taylor said a budget packet is submitted annually, and the county pays a per diem rate for each county resident.

Each county is responsible for paying for their residents, she said, no matter where the halfway house is located.

“It’s cheaper than a night at a hotel,” Taylor said. “We’re never going to get rich, but we are here to help people.”

She said Greene County has long needed such a service, and her halfway house could open the door to other service providers to begin working in the county. She said people are often sent to Washington County for services that should be available within the county in which they reside.

Taylor said the men who will stay at her home, which could admit residents as early as Nov. 1, will not pose a threat to the surrounding community.

“These people are filled with remorse and regret and they have a lot of shame to work through,” she said. “They need the opportunity to get their lives back together.”

Taylor said she closed on the home Aug. 13 and is in the process of receiving a state license and approval from the state Department of Labor and Industry before she can accept referrals. She said she and other employees, all in recovery, are committed to their task.

“I don’t want any hassle. I just want to help people,” she said. “This is what I want to do, and I am confident I will be successful.”

The township supervisors declined comment, but a woman at the township office said a meeting to discuss the halfway house further will be held at the Jefferson fire hall, though a time and date have not yet been determined.

Calls to other residents who spoke out at the advisory board meeting were not returned Friday afternoon.