Neighbors continue to voice concerns.
Residents on Pross Road are continuing to raise questions about a sober living house on their street, while Towamencin officials have brought in an expert to help deal with the case.
“The sober living home on Pross Road implicates Fair Housing Act and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance issues, and requirements, that the township must adhere to,” said township solicitor Bob Iannozzi at a township supervisors meeting last week.
“Toward that end, I have recommended to the board, and the board will consider this evening, the engagement of special counsel to assist with ensuring that the township complies with federal law, that we don’t run afoul of it,” he said.
In early April neighbors first turned out to the township to voice concerns about ‘Pross House for Women,’ a facility run by Sunlight of the Spirit House, an Eagleville-based operator of sober living houses for individuals who have completed treatment and wish to live in a sober environment.
After initial alerts from the neighbors to the township in early April that the house was about to open, residents reiterated their worries weeks later, citing concerns about safety, traffic, visitors to the neighborhood, and whether the type of treatment and living situation was best for those involved.
“We have propounded detailed questions upon the operator, relative to the residents, the intake, operations, rules and regulations. They were sent to the property owner,” Iannozzi said.
“We also met with the property owner and their respective legal counsel yesterday, to further discuss. We will confirm that at this juncture they are proposing six bedrooms. We’re currently looking at that operation from a building code compliance standpoint, and that’s where we are right now,” he said.
The meeting itself was, the solicitor added, “informed, pleasant, and thus far everyone’s operating with a cooperative spirit,” before adding a request for the neighbors.
“The township appreciates the import that this is to all of you. It is an unpopular use, but that in and of itself does not make it a requirement of the township to try to terminate the operation of this sober home,” he said.
“We’re going to ensure that everybody, including the operators of this sober home, are compliant with all applicable laws. And so toward that end I caution everyone: Be mindful that these are human beings. Let’s have respect for one another, and not seek to vilify individuals who the law has readily acknowledged are a protected class,” Iannozzi said.
About a dozen residents from the neighborhood said they were at the meeting to hear the update, and board Chairman Chuck Wilson asked the solicitor to give his update first, to try to answer questions before the residents spoke.
Valerie Hannigan reiterated her concerns from April about the use of the home for a business in a residential neighborhood, the number of occupants, and asked if the occupants would have enough space to work through any problems.
“For the sake of argument, let’s say they turn the downstairs family room into two bedrooms, making this 1,900-square-foot house into a six-bedroom house. Keep in mind, one of the bedrooms is for the manager, so technically there are five bedrooms for 10 to 14 women to share, and two-and-a-half bathrooms, in one home,” she said.
“As a mother of six, ranging from (age) 16 to 36, with four grandchildren, it is tight for us to gather for family events, and we are related, and know our pasts. How will this current situation at 1050 Pross play out, with so many women from all aspects of life, addictions, and mental illnesses, [to] be a positive environment, day in and day out?”
Hannigan added that she’s also concerned about not just the number, but also the turnover of those who stay at the house.
“Some women will leave, some women will stay. There will be an influx of different personalities moving in and out of that house. Where is the stability and support? This is not a home, this is an institution, and it is being used solely for profit.
“I have nothing against addicts: my son passed away from that. And we are not against the addicted women that are living in this home. We are against the establishment: 10 to 14 women is way too many women to have in one house,” she said.
Resident Joe Silverman raised another question, tying in the talks on the Pross House with recent discussion by the township about changing the way residents are billed for their sewer use, to do so by usage rather than a flat fee.
“This home on Pross Road with 14 people — they get 14 people for, what is it, $590 a year? As compared to one person, who might live in a condo, and they’re also paying $590. So there’s something wrong there,” he said.
Iannozzi said his recommendation is to hire attorney Christian Moffit of Fox Rothschild, who regularly represents and handles cases specializing in those laws nationwide.
“And he defends against such discriminatory claims in various jurisdictions throughout the country. So I thought it was important at the get-go to have special counsel with us, to ensure we meet our requirements, and we are fully compliant as we go forward in ferreting out this use and ensuring its proper operation,” he said.
The supervisors unanimously approved hiring the special counsel, and township Manager David Kraynik said afterward doing so carried no set cost, would be based on an hourly rate for that attorney, and said the township will strive to keep the expense as low as possible.
The agreement was approved unanimously by the board, with supervisor Kofi Osei providing the only comment.
“I’m in favor of this, specifically for how delicate the situation is. I think there’s significant risk to spend way more money than we ever need to, if we don’t do this properly. And that’s not giving an opinion on what actually should happen at that property,” he said.
Sunlight drew similar feedback from residents when they sought approvals for a home on Montgomery Avenue in North Wales throughout 2015, that town’s zoning board denied their request for more than three residents in the home, prompting Sunlight to file a lawsuit against the town in 2016.
Sunlight has also worked with a similar Quakertown-based recovery foundation to develop standards for such facilities across the state, and Sunlight currently lists one home in Lansdale and two in Hatfield as being in operation.
Sunlight has not responded to the questions from neighbors, and recent posts on their Facebook page include photos from a visit to a horse rescue shelter, info about an upcoming Drug Addiction Resources Alliance forum on May 14, and an article from NPR entitled “There is life after addiction. Most people recover.”
Towamencin’s supervisors next meet at 7 p.m. on May 22 at the township administration building, 1090 Troxel Road. For more information visit www.Towamencin.org.
