Frankford civic group
talks about rehab centers

By Jon Campisi
Times Staff Writer

Members of the Frankford Civic Association, who have opposed the recent influx of drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities in the neighborhood, addressed a member of Mayor Michael Nutter’s staff at their meeting last week, attempting to seek resolution to the issue.
Roland Lamb, director of the Office of Addiction Services in the Department of Behavioral Health & Mental Retardation Services, sought to dispel some of the myths tied to these types of facilities, although he also told the group he could relate to their concerns over quality of life.
During his address, Lamb also explained the difference between the various facilities and treatment programs, since he said, some civic members, and most laymen, for that matter, are using terms interchangeably that shouldn’t be used that way.
“If we understand where they are, and how they exist, we can better address the situation,” Lamb told the civic group.
Lamb listed the various recovery facilities and programs as follows: state-licensed treatment programs, transitional housing programs, community corrections programs, and recovery houses.
There are an estimated 62 state-licensed treatment programs in Philadelphia, Lamb said. And while the city isn’t authorized to issue licenses, it does have a powerful hand in the process.
“We credential providers to be able to get paid for services in Philadelphia County,” Lamb said. “We have two separate actions that happen here.”
A recovery house, however, needs no license to operate. Lamb defined a recovery house as a treatment center set up by former addicts who decided to give back to the community. Despite not needing a license, about 21 of 300 of these types of facilities in the city are contracted by Philadelphia to provide services.
Lamb did point out that to obtain a contract, a recovery house must meet specific qualifications, not the least of which is “community support.”
“You cannot come into our network without having the community as a partner,” Lamb said. “The only requirement we have is the people running the house have good community support.”
This revelation struck a chord with some civic members, who claimed that some of the recovery programs in Frankford on Lamb’s list of 21 citywide shouldn’t have met that criterion.
“There are a lot of places on this list that I don’t recall coming to any community meetings,” said Elizabeth McCollum-Nazario, president of the Frankford Business and Professional Association.
McCollum-Nazario wondered if it would be possible to shut down facilities that are already up and running that didn’t meet the community-support specification.
Lamb said that could be difficult, since some of the facilities are not governed by any department of health or city agency; only the 21 contracted by the city are required to play by certain rules.
However, those that are under city regulations could be in danger of being closed if it was discovered that they opened without the support of neighbors and civic groups. The city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections would be in charge of enforcement.
While some civic members reiterated the argument of months past, namely, that the various facilities have a negative effect on the quality of life of the residents of Frankford, Lamb cautioned against totally dismissing the rehabs and programs as a detriment.
He said many of them provided a needed service, and of the estimated 300-plus facilities in Philadelphia, he said, “some do some very good work. But others, I’m scared of them.”
The challenge, he said, is to not lump all of the facilities in the same category, since a rotten apple shouldn’t spoil the whole bunch.
Lamb suggested crafting “a strategic plan on how we’re going to treat the problem of addiction in our communities.”
“How do we begin to address that issue productively and in partnership with this community?” he asked rhetorically. “How do we begin to offer services for people who need it, without overwhelming the communities, is something that needs to be addressed.”
Lamb mentioned some of the other types of facilities not necessarily related to drug and alcohol recovery, such as those designed to re-integrate recent prison parolees into society. And then there are the children coming out of the Department of Human Services, programming who are “aging out” of the juvenile system, and will need some societal guidance.
The key in all of this, Lamb said, is to find a happy medium, in which people who legitimately need help are taken care of, and where community members don’t feel slighted.
“I believe on some levels, we can take some control of this,” Lamb said.
The shame of it, Lamb said, is that when dealing with places such as recovery houses, there are most likely good intentions on the part of those who opt to open them up, with the ultimate goal of helping people get clean. But others simply view such places as a “moneymaker.”
Some civic members also raised the issue of resentment.
While one talked about the fact that these number of facilities would most likely never get approved in a more well-to-do community such as Northern Liberties, another resident discussed how the neighborhood’s goal of revitalizing the commercial corridor may not come to fruition, since business owners could be turned off by having drug and alcohol treatment centers right next door.
“As Frankford people, we feel like we’re dumped on, we’re powerless,” said the Rev. John Large, parish priest at Mater Dolorosa.
Large also said whether their intentions are good or not, the folks running the facilities simply don’t have the same stake in the community as those who live here.
At the close of the discussion, in a move overwhelmingly supported by the civic group, Lamb suggested scheduling a town hall-style meeting to further address the issues. Lamb suggested having various representatives of civic and city agencies attend the meeting to make for a more fruitful discussion. The idea pleased McCollum-Nazario, who said she has felt as though the group’s pleas have fallen on deaf ears lately
“I think as a civic ... we have some ammunition now,” she said. ••
Reporter Jon Campisi can be reached at 215-354-3038 or jcampisi@phillynews.com