In May of 2016, representatives of the Clarksburg Mission approached Bridgeport City Council with a request for financial assistance toward the establishment of a sober living home in downtown Clarksburg. At that time, the home – intended for use by single women – was to be located on Lee Avenue on land that had previously been gifted to the Mission by the Isabella family of Bridgeport. Lee Avenue intersects with Chestnut Street and runs parallel with Washington Avenue. The property that was being considered for the facility is in the vicinity of Washington Irving Middle School.

 

Clarksburg Mission Women’s Ministry Manager Chrissy Doak said at that time that the facility would house up to 20 women and children; a concept which was not only desperately needed but which no other city in West Virginia had pursued.

 

“There is no place like this where women can keep their children with them while they are going through recovery,” she told City Council in May of 2016. “Many women end up losing their children.”

 

The Bella (which means “beautiful”) House was estimated to cost $450,000 with an estimated $105,000 for annual operations. Once established, the facility would likely receive federal grant moneys for day-to-day operation.

 

The plan to establish the home is still under way, but according to Ben Randolph of the Clarksburg Mission, there has been a possible shift in location.

 

“Due to cost restraints in building new, we decided to look at purchase,” he said. “We haven’t given up on Lee Avenue either, but for now we are looking at the purchase, which would help twice as many people at less than half the cost of building new.”

 

That proposed site is a pair of large Victorian homes at 187 and 189 East Pike Street; one which would potentially house the single women and children and the other which would be utilized as a men’s facility.

 

But that potential change of plans has many area residents concerned. Included is a family closely associated with Notre Dame High School, located at 127 East Pike Street.

 

In total, about 500 residents have signed a petition to keep the sober living homes out of the Notre Dame school area  . A spokesperson for the group (who asked to remain anonymous) made it abundantly clear that he and his family and many who have offered their signatures to the petition are in favor of the concept of sober living homes.

 

“We know that there is an addiction crisis and that such facilities are needed,” he said. “The problem we have is with the location. A former DEA agent and others who deal with this population have all told me that this is a bad idea for all kinds of reasons. Our first obligation is to protect our students. That is all we are trying to do.”

 

The spokesperson said he and his wife are longtime supporters of the Clarksburg Mission. They continue to support the Mission and its work and are willing to help find an alternative location for the proposed sober living homes.

 

Again, he said he understands the need for the homes and supports the concept. But there are many nervous parents of Notre Dame High School/St. Mary’s Elementary School students. Those schools receive no state funding and operate only by tuition and donations. One incident could result in a mass exodus of students and potentially even shut the school down, he said.

 

One of the reasons parents send their kids to Notre Dame and St. Mary’s Elementary, the spokesperson said, is that the private schools generally offer a more controlled and safe environment.

 

“The Mission runs no risk in locating the homes there.  The risk is all ours,” said the spokesperson. “We hear, ‘Well, nothing will happen.’  We have heard that over and over.  But they cannot guarantee that.  What if the Mission is wrong?  I have to believe that there are other locations in Harrison County that are more suitable for this.”

 

If the sober living homes do open on East Pike Street, administrators of the school will take extra security precautions to keep students safe, he said.

 

A Bridgeport City Council member and former DEA agent, Lowell Maxey, said in his professional opinion the operation of a sober living home in a school district should not pose any greater concern than operating in a neighborhood without a school nearby.

 

“It will all come down to the standards and safeguards put in place by management of the home,” Maxey said. “It is very unlikely that interaction between a dealer and a sober living home resident will take place anywhere near the home. That should immediately be cause for the resident to be expelled.”

 

It all comes down to that management, as well as relationships with law enforcement and the neighborhood, Maxey said.

 

“Strict non-negotiable guidelines for residents have to be established,” he said.

 

He also said he is not aware of any reliable study or information which indicates there is a real threat of dealers “hanging around” a sober living home.

 

“Of course, it’s not my neighborhood,” he said. “It’s a tough decision to force this situation upon a neighborhood. The concept is a great idea – putting it into practice is loaded with challenges.”

Eight months after the project was initiated, Randolph said there is certainly still a desperate need for the sober living home or homes. And it’s a need about which he is passionate.

 

“I found myself struggling with addiction a couple years ago,” he said. “By the grace of God, I was able to receive the help and support I needed to change my life – a life now rooted in faith.”

 

Since then, Randolph said he has been blessed with opportunity to help others in similar situations.

 

“That said, there are too many people that don’t get that same help and support that I did,” he said. “Also, sadly the stigma of addiction is still alive and well. Too many still treat the addicted as moral failures compared to the fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters that they are – something that continues to stand in the way of progress.”

 

Randolph said there have been serious misperceptions – often by the propagation of misinformation - regarding an addict’s desire for and need for supportive recovery options and how those options work.

 

“I believe that progress towards an informed public is happening, but it’s clear that there is much work to be done still,” he said.

 

The Mission’s sober living homes would provide the support and caring environment that individuals need to successfully continue recovery, Randolph said. He sees that as no threat to anyone.

 

“A house with people making concerted efforts to be good citizens - perhaps more so than an average household - is no threat to neighbors, no matter if that neighbor is a school or otherwise,” he said. “Potential residents will go through a rigorous screening process and will have already completed a stay at a treatment or rehabilitation facility. Only those with genuine willingness to continue their recovery will be accepted. It has been proven, in various studies by research groups, that crime in fact decreases around these homes and property values don’t decline.”

In September of 2016, Clarksburg Mission Executive Director Chris Mullett shared with Bridgeport City Council that the Pike Street property was being considered. He said the cost of the two properties was $270,000 and that they could potentially house 16 to 20 individuals after they completed treatment for drug addiction. He reiterated the fact that the facility would not just serve Clarksburg, but the entire Harrison County area and beyond. Such a facility would greatly increase the odds of those individuals remaining sober.

 

“After treatment for a period of 30, 60 or 90 days, only 11 percent remain sober,” he said. “After treatment, if you spend six to 12 months in a sober living facility that number jumps to 68 percent.”

 

Although some members of Bridgeport City Council were on board with the project, it was determined that the city’s governing body could not legally commit dollars to such a facility unless it was located in the city. There has since been no further discussion.

 

In October, Mullett and members of the Clarksburg Mission board of directors approached the Harrison County Commission with the same funding request. The Harrison County Commission tabled the request due to the opposition from those who don’t want the facility located on East Pike.

 

Mullet explained how the East Pike Street property came into the picture. It all started in August when Lou Ortenzio, Mission volunteer and director of ministry, was out for a morning run.

 

“(Lou) texted me a picture and said he really believed the Lord was speaking to him – that the house was supposed to be the first sober living house,” Mullett said. “We actually thought it was cool that it would be right around the corner from Immaculate Conception Church and a house full of nuns. We never imagined that anybody would have objection.”

 

On Sept. 13, Mullett said he entered into a contract on behalf of the Mission to buy the two East Pike Street homes with the understanding that purchasers had four months to raise funds for a down payment of $54,000 - 20 percent of the purchase price.

 

“If we can’t raise the money, that’s God’s way of saying it’s not his will,” Mullett said. “But we’ll never know if we don’t try.”

 

Mullett said the Mission awaits results of appraisal of the homes. So far, $10,000 has been raised toward the $54,000. Included is a $5,650 donation from 100+ Women Who Care of Harrison County. After the property owners granted a 30-day extension, the Mission now has until mid-February to raise the remainder of the down payment.

 

Editor's Note: Pictured from top: From left City Clerk Andrea Kerr, Ben Randolph, Chris Mullett and Chrissy Doak at the May 2016 Bridgeport City  Council  meeting; the East Pike Street properties being considered to house the sober living homes; City Council Member Lowell Maxey; Ben Randolph; Chris Mullett with Lou Ortenzio in the background.