Hepburn House to convert

[BrianSullivan]

www.hepburnhouse.com/


There is some interesting, sad, and breaking news hitting the Internet. From the information I have at this time, the Hepburn house is being sold and will be used as a rehab facility for about a dozen men. I quote from a credible source....

"Mr. Peter Berryman (the owner of the Hepburn House) and his attorney will make themselves available to the public to answer questions on July 27, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at Borough Hall regarding the sale of the Bed and Breakfast and its change to a "Rehab" facility to house 12 men.

Hepbourn House at 15 Monument Street in Freehold was formerly a bed and breakfast. It converted to an Oxford House facility on July 2, 2010. It has 12 beds for men. The Oxford Houses govern themselves and provide for sober living. They do not provide substance abuse treatment services and, as such, do not fall under DAS licensure regulations... "


This is not the first Oxford house in our town.....

www.njoxfordhouse.org/chpt.php?chpt=III

also from that site with good info...

www.njoxfordhouse.org/faq.php

[lisas84]

I wonder if the Oxford people did their research on this location -- where a spate of bars and a liquor store are within walking distance! Brilliant move.

I'm all for this step in sobriety -- however, choose a home/location where temptation is not a block or two away.

[BrianSullivan]

The above is what available facts I have at this time. Now I have to inject some opinion. I am sure many people are not going to be happy with this at all.

There is a certain stigma that goes along with addicts. Too many times people get images of street panhandlers as the addict type. The fact is, addicts come from every walk of life. Many, many families are affected.

These addicts are somebody's son, husband, father, friend. The come from all levels of society. They are the doctors, lawyers, police officers, construction workers, nurses and so many others who are around us. The bottom line, these are people who will need to be left alone and need our compassion.

Due to the stigma, it is natural for people to have a NIMBY attitude. I will make a prediction right now. I bet this house is a very quiet one with very little if any incidents coming from it. I will bet that the neighbors do not even notice the nature of the house and its occupants.

Now for the harder part- the psychological aspect of this on that part of our community. Over recent yeas we have seen many residents of the Court Street area go to council meetings and planning board meetings in efforts to protect their quality of life. They will likely have concerns about this.

The fact is, readers, we cannot allow the psychological aspect get the better of us and especially the Court Street residents. To do so could really send that entire neighborhood into a tail spin. I think of Ocean Grove twenty years ago when many of those big beautiful homes were half way houses, rooming houses, and rentals. Of course we do not have a beach front to revitalize us.

On the other side, I grew up for a few years, in a very, very affluent area. Right across the street from where I lived, years before, an Oxford house opened up much to the NIMBY chagrin of the neighbors. That area is still doing well and I have never heard of one single problem from that Oxford house.

Of course the added psychology for the borough is that the Hepburn house is a well know house. Would people be concerned if it were a more obscure house? As we can see from the posted site, we have some here. Are there any problems associated with the current ones?

The bottom line folks, this may come as a blow to some people. It need not be. I have mentioned before tha this town needs to really start catering to the money crowd. In the big picture, if we don't. then yes we will be Ocean Grove twenty years ago.

[BrianSullivan]

Jul 18, 2010 8:14:19 GMT -5 lisas84 said:

I wonder if the Oxford people did their research on this location -- where a spate of bars and a liquor store are within walking distance! Brilliant move.

I'm all for this step in sobriety -- however, choose a home/location where temptation is not a block or two away.

Good point and certainly a bit of irony. But look at the Oxford house web site. We already have a few of them as well as bar heavy places like Long Branch and Bradly Beach.

Honestly though, I am not sure this can be much of a factor. Addicts are going to be exposed to temptation at some point and they do have to deal with it.

[leelye]

Aren't these homes considered non profits and therefore not eligible to pay property taxes ?? How does the borough plan to make up the thousands of dollars ($14,789.00 to be exact) they will lose from this home ?? Will they be willing to take a 10 percent pay decrease and forgo their benefits like Freehold Twp And if they are not tax exempt, what has the Borough done to reduce the strain on residents. They are not supporting the Governor's 2% cap or taking a wage freeze that I am aware of.

Just some food for thought

[jefffriedman]

I have known about this for a little more than a week as has most of the Court House neighborhood. I think I can all say we all would prefer a B & B over a sober home but considering the layout of the building, especially the conversions made to make it a B & B, there are not many options for the property. Unless a family with a lot of kids bought it, the layout suite itself for a B & B, offices, or some other group residential use like a home for people with non-physical disabilities.

I know the town and the neighborhood has and will continue to oppose more conversions to offices; and as the B & B was not profitable, I am not sure how many other options there were.

As Brian has noted there are two other Oxford Homes in the Boro. I have not heard of any problems with them and once I found out where they were I went by them; by looking at them I honestly would not have been able to pick them out as “group” homes which I think is positive.

I also think that it is socially and morally necessary to give people opportunities to improve themselves and be given second and more chances as we all have our own faults and struggles.

Lisa makes a valid point about bars being nearby but I think that may be the case in any place they would place people as a walking community may be necessary for their residents who do not have car or who have no licenses due to their past troubles. If they were in the township or Manalapan I think they would feel more isolated which would not help their continued progress. I would think they purposely pick better quite neighborhoods to promote a positive feeing among the residents as a sober home in a “bad” neighborhood may have non-positive influences as neighbors. The bars are a fact of life that they will have to come to terms with wherever they live for the rest of their lives so they have to be able to learn to live with that strength not to go in. I also think it’s location, across the street from the court house, with officers from every town in the county driving by all day I doubt that if there are any problems they would go unnoticed for long.

Since I have found out about this I have done a bit of research on Oxford International and I must say there operation is quite large and impressive. This obviously would not be my first choice use for the property but, with their track record, if the home helps people make that transition back to a productive life it is not the worst use especially if the property maintains it character.

We can also hold out hope that as Freehold continues to revitalize the need for the B & B may return and when the lease is over or at some later date it could be coveted back, an option that might not exist if it was converted to office space.

Leelye, The house is being rented by the non-profit so the owner of the property still needs to pay property tax.

[leelye]

Jeff,

Thanks for the info. Question: Is it rent with the promise to buy thus becoming a non profit tax free piece of property ?

[jefffriedman]

leelye,

According to their website they never buy property because they do not want to be locked into a property.

[BrianSullivan]

newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2010-07-21/Front_Page/Neighbors_upset_with_plans_for_stately_home.html

Neighbors upset with plans for stately home

Freehold Borough residence may house adults recovering from drug, alcohol addiction
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
Residents of the Monument Street neighborhood in Freehold Borough are angry and frustrated because another issue has come to the doorstep of what they say is their “fragile” neighborhood.
Specifically, the residents are upset because a home that formerly housed a bed and breakfast inn is now proposed to become a home for adults who are in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction,

The home at 15 Monument St., Freehold Borough, is expected to be run by Oxford House, which “is a concept in recovery from drug and alcoholic addiction. In its simplest form, an Oxford House describes a democratically run self-supporting and drug-free home.”

The Oxford House Internet website states that the number of residents in an Oxford House may range from six to 15.

There are houses for men, houses for women, and houses for women and children. There are Oxford Houses in metropolitan areas such as New York City and Washington, D.C.

“Each house represents a remarkably effective and low-cost method of preventing relapse. This was the purpose of the first Oxford House, established in 1975, and this purpose is served day by day in house after house in each of over 1,200 houses in the United States,” according to the website.

Debra Esola, of Monument Street, said, “The housing on the streets bordering Monument Square Park is some of the most attractive and sought after in the borough. Many current and past homeowners, including myself, have had the experience of moving to Freehold on the basis of seeing this particular historic residential area as well as the downtown’s sidewalk cafes.

“Almost everyone has a family member or friend who struggles with a drug or alcohol problem. Everyone deserves a chance to get back on his or her feet and have a place to live. However, I believe it is extremely short-sighted to take a landmark house in one of the most historic sections of town and turn it into a rental with residents who are staying short-term with no real interest or stake in the town or neighborhood in which they live,” she said.

Monument Street resident Ann D’Arrigo said, “For what it’s worth, I am devastated.”

D’Arrigo said she is living in the house of her dreams in a neighborhood with good people and “now it is being destroyed.”




“For many of us, there are no options. The real estate market is not on the side of the seller. I have enjoyed having sleepovers with my great-nieces and nephews, baking, crafting, reading and just plain having fun. Their parents will not let them stay at my house if the plans for (Oxford House) go through. Isn’t there a floor available at the rug mill (apartment complex) that could accommodate people who are trying to help themselves?” she asked.

Peter Berryman, the owner of the home which formerly housed the Hepburn House bed and breakfast, did not respond to questions that were sent to him via email by the News Transcript.

In prior years, residents of the Monument Street neighborhood have fought to protect the area — which is in the vicinity of the Monmouth County Court House — from going over to commercial uses. Some of the neighborhood’s homes have been permitted to have a business use, others have not.

Freehold Borough code enforcement officer and zoning officer Hank Stryker III said an application was sent to the zoning office to request that the status of the bed and breakfast facility be returned to R-7, which is single-family residential zoning.

“The owner (Berryman) made application to the zoning office to have the bed and breakfast return to its previous R-7 zoning status. It is already residential zoning and it can be done,” Stryker said. “When it became a bed and breakfast years ago, it was allowed under a conditional use, which means that under the zoning, certain things are allowed and other things are not.”

Stryker said the current owner received approval for the residential status.

“The owner made application to turn the bed and breakfast into a family home legally. This can be done without an application to any board. It is a permitted use,” Stryker said.

The certificate of occupancy (CO) has been submitted to the code enforcement office by Oxford House.

According to Stryker, the owner has leased the property to Oxford House and the CO is pending as the borough waits for all permits, certifications and licenses from Oxford House to be completed.

Stryker said the Oxford House on Monument Street will not be the only Oxford House in Freehold Borough, and he said there are other group homes in town as well. He said that from a code enforcement standpoint he has not seen any problems with the group homes.

Borough Administrator Joseph Bellina said, “We have received legal analysis that points to the fact that recovering drug and alcohol abusers are included in the definition under the federal Fair Housing Act.

“The conclusion reached by these courts states that recovering drug and alcohol abusers are handicapped as defined under the federal Rehabilitation Act. This means that municipalities cannot discriminate against them or require stricter regulations than for any other residential use,” he said.

Bellina said a public meeting has been scheduled between borough officials and the owners of the property, Peter and Suzanne Berryman, along with their attorney, Timothy Provost of Freehold. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. July 27 in Borough Hall.

He said people who own property within 200 feet of the home on Monument Street that is proposed to be leased to Oxford House have been notified about the July 27 meeting.

“We have also extended an invitation to representatives of Oxford House to attend the meeting,” Bellina said, adding that borough officials will ask the Berrymans to provide a description of the operation of Oxford House.

Borough Attorney Kerry Higgins said she had previously met with Peter Berryman and his attorney and said Berryman told her he had attempted to sell the Monument Street home for two years as a bed and breakfast inn or as a single-family residence, but that he had been unable to do so.

She said Berryman agreed to have a community meeting in order to address the concerns of the residents

[adefonzo]

I have to admit that I have not done any research into Oxford Houses, and I don't want to get into the issue of whether or not it's right to let this type of establishment onto a "residential" street.

What I do want to say is that I find it a bit ironic that the residents of Monument and Court Street have been fighting to prevent residential properties from becoming commercial properties, and now they are against the idea of a commercial property (a bed and breakfast is, after all, a business) being converted back to a residential property...albeit one that will house recovering alcoholics and drug addicts.

Just an interesting ironic point, in my opinion.

[BrianSullivan]

www.app.com/article/20100731/NEWS/7310319/Group-home-for-recovering-addicts-seeks-to-assure-Freehold-neighborhood

Group home for recovering addicts seeks to assure Freehold neighborhood
By KIM PREDHAM • FREEHOLD BUREAU • July 31, 2010


FREEHOLD — For many at a meeting to discuss a new home for recovering alcohol and drug addicts, the uniting emotion was fear.




Fear that their property values would drop. Fear that they would not be safe in their homes and streets. Fear that the flavor of their residential neighborhood was slowly eroding, house by house.

"We're busting our tails here to make our properties look nice. . . . Something like this makes me say, "Why do I stick it out and stay here?'," Alice MacCormack, who has homes on Broad Street and Brinckerhoff Avenue, told the co-founder of Oxford House, Paul Molloy, at a meeting held at Borough Hall Tuesday.

Oxford House, a nonprofit agency that provides homes for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts, recently began renting the Hepburn House bed-and-breakfast, a stately inn on Monument Street. The home will accommodate up to 12 men; six currently live there, Molloy said.

About 50 people attended the meeting, during which Molloy spoke at length about his own descent from a Capitol Hill staffer to a drunk committed to a psychiatric ward. Molloy tried to convince his audience that an Oxford House would help their neighborhood rather than hurt it.

Molloy said the house would be preserved as a residence, a concern for some neighbors who have fought against the conversion of area homes into law offices. Molloy also claimed Oxford House actually might bring property values up in the area.

Many in attendance appeared unconvinced, expressing frustration, fear and anger over the change. A few, though, defended the new residents.

"If they take care of the home, if they're good neighbors, don't people deserve a second chance in life?" asked Jeff Friedman, who lives on Broad Street.

Group homes like the Oxford Houses are considered single-family residences, a legally-permitted use in the zone where the Hepburn House is located. Alcoholics and drug addicts also are protected by federal housing regulations, which defines them as disabled.

The home will not be tax-exempt; the owner of the home, listed as Suzanne Berryman on tax records, will continue to pay taxes, Molloy said.

There are two other Oxford Houses in Freehold. Neither one has had any code violations and there has been minimal police activity at the homes. One incident was for an intoxicated person, but the home's residents were the ones who called police, Borough Attorney Kerry Higgins said.

[BrianSullivan]

Very good article from the NT nad very good comments from Councilman Newman.

newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2010-08-11/Front_Page/Recovery_home_begins_operation.html

Recovery home begins operation

Police say other facilities have not posed a problem in Freehold Borough
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
Sometimes you cannot fight City Hall and that’s just the way it is. Such is the case for residents in the Monument Street and Court Street neighborhood in Freehold Borough who attended a special meeting at Borough Hall to discuss the home at 15 Monument St., Freehold Borough, that is now operating as an Oxford House.
The home previously housed the Hepburn House bed and breakfast inn.

The July 27 meeting provided information about the Oxford House program.

The home is owned by Peter and Suzanne Berryman and is leased to Oxford House. Six recovering substance abusers are now living in the home and six more may eventually move in.

Borough Attorney Kerry Higgins described Oxford House as “a self-run, selfsupporting house for recovering alcohol or substance abusers. It is not a substance abuse treatment program, but a post-treatment, self-governing place of residence for persons in the recovery process who are in need of a place to live.”

She said that in 1990, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs issued an opinion that the Oxford House model does not constitute a rooming or boarding house. Federal law also protects the use of the home for that purpose, she said.

Borough Councilman John Newman said about 40 residents from the Monument Street and Court Street neighborhood, as well as from other areas of the borough, including Mead Avenue, Brinkerhoff Avenue and Birch Street, attended the meeting to learn more about a situation they said they have serious concerns about.

Newman said there are 17 homes or apartments operating as group homes for residents with some type of handicap or disability, including two Oxford House homes, in Freehold Borough.

He said that according to police, there are rarely any problems with these homes.

“The rules are pretty strict for residents,” Newman said. “If they are ever caught using drugs or drinking, they face immediate expulsion.”




Residents of the Monument Street neighborhood have expressed concern for the safety of their children and the value of the properties due to the conversion of the former bed and breakfast to a group home.

Newman said Paul Molloy, the founder of Oxford House, told those in attendance at the meeting that the organization’s success rate with recovering individuals is 80 percent. Newman said Malloy reported that the average success rate of recovering alcoholics or drug abusers out of rehabilitation is 20 percent.

The residents of an Oxford House govern themselves and share chores and household expenses. They must immediately expel any resident who drinks alcohol or uses illicit drugs in or outside the house.

Molloy said the house does not accept sex offenders, but will accept applicants who may have committed other criminal offenses. He said the houses are all in good neighborhoods.

In a subsequent conversation with Molloy, he said Oxford House is given $208,000 per year from the state to fund the homes in New Jersey. Staff members train the people who live in the houses how to be self-supporting.

There are 75 Oxford House facilities in New Jersey. Molloy cited a study done by DePaul University in Chicago that reported that 897 people in Oxford House homes were studied for 27 months. He said 87 percent of the individuals in the homes stayed clean and sober.

“It makes sense when you know that the only cure is behavior change,” Molloy said. “Some people will live in a home for three or four months; others may be there for years. It is all individual. The main thing is that the people are allowed to live in the house for as long as they want or need to.

“In the country there are 25 million alcohol and drug abusers and each year many go into treatment. In 2009, 7.4 million of them went into treatment. Of those, 16 percent had tried treatment three times before. Treatment centers are recycling the same people over and over. Oxford House has 80 percent who remain clean and sober. We are stopping the recycling,” he said.

Molloy said there are 1,435 Oxford Home facilities in the United States, helping 12,280 people. There are 75 homes in New Jersey providing residence for 300 people.

In a subsequent interview with Newman, the councilman said that “a lot of people in the neighborhood are still afraid, even after the meeting.”

“They are worried about their children and if they will be safe or not. They are worried that if one of the residents is expelled from the home, they might then be hanging around the neighborhood. They are worried about their property values and they are worried about the historic nature of the Victorian home and whether or not it will be maintained and cared for properly,” he added.

“The people in this neighborhood have had some difficult issues to deal with over the last few years,” Newman said, referring to various zoning issues. “They are very worried about keeping their neighborhood residential.”

Borough Councilwoman Sharon Shutzer said “emotions were running very high” at the July 27 meeting.

“Sometimes when emotions are so intense, people tend to overlook the facts,” Shutzer said. “I wanted our attorney to address the legalities of this issue and the legalities are, according to our attorney, that there is simply nothing, as a municipality, that we can do about this. Under the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, we can do nothing to change this.”