PORT ANGELES — After operating for 14 years, a home for people recovering from mental illness received a permit earlier this week.
But whether that resolves tension between some Cherry Hill neighborhood residents uneasy of its close proximity and the nonprofit organization that runs it remains to be seen.
Several neighbors contacted Peninsula Community Mental Health, which operates the home at 203 W. 12th St., about a year ago after they discovered that a level 1 sex offender was living there.
That man was moved but not after exacerbating concerns that the “supported living facility” presented a public safety risk.
Those concerns even rose to the point where two neighbors — auto dealer Howie Ruddell and anesthesiologist Stephen Howarth — began to research the legality of the home with the help of an attorney.
That led to the discovery late last year that it had been operating without a city permit since 1996.
City Hall workers did not know that the residence was still being used by the mental health organization after it stopped using it as a group home for adolescent girls, said Nathan West, city economic and community development.
The organization’s personnel thought the house didn’t need a permit for the new use.
The city’s Planning Commission corrected the error Wednesday evening by approving a permit, but not before a lengthy public hearing at City Hall in which proponents of the home argued that it provides much needed services for Port Angeles’ mentally ill and some neighbors questioned whether it is a proper fit for the residential neighborhood.
“Without ongoing support, they are going to break down and go back into more experienced levels of care,” said Peter Casey, executive director of the mental health organization.
Casey said five adults, who have been determined to be capable of living on their own, reside at the home.
They each receive counseling from the organization, and staff members visit them between five and seven days a week, he said.
Six nearby residents also spoke at the public hearing. Five questioned whether the house’s residents receive proper supervision.
“This is nothing about adverse feelings of mental illness,” Howarth said. “It has to do with making the system better.”
Neighbors of the facility submitted records of calls made to the police from the house over the last two years, among other documents.
In an attempt to resolve the neighbors’ concerns, the Planning Commission added a requirement to the permit that the mental health organization holds four meetings with neighbors over the next year and twice a year afterward.
Casey said the meetings will be a “great way” to alleviate many of the concerns.
The response was mixed among some of the neighbors.
Howarth said it was a “reasonable decision,” while Ruddell said he is not convinced that they will accomplish much.
“I think what the neighbors are looking for is follow-through,” Ruddell said.
He said he would like to see more supervision of the residents and information regarding what mental illnesses are being treated.
Casey said Thursday that he hopes to provide neighbors with more information on the home but doesn’t think that the residents need more supervision.
The director, while acknowledging that some residents may still have schizophrenic episodes, said they have never threatened anyone in the neighborhood.
He said neighbors are not at a greater risk due to the home and referred to one claim made at the public hearing that a resident threatened a girl as unsubstantiated.
“I think the fact that these people are in ongoing care . . . reduces tremendously the possibility that they could become dangerous and harmful either to themselves or others,” Campbell said.
He said the mental health organization hasn’t received complaints from neighbors near its four other supported living facilities.
West said he didn’t know if the other homes are permitted. He said it depends on the zoning, but added, “It is something we will have to look into.”
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
