With a half-million dollars in grant funds announced last week, the Haven of Rest rescue mission will soon be able to build not one, but two resident treatment facilities in Bristol, Tenn.
Grace Recovery Home will be an 18-bed site for women on Second Street and the Lighthouse will be a 20-bed facility for men at the Haven’s headquarters on Anderson Street.
This is an important step forward for both men and women who need long term, faith-based treatment to overcome addiction.
Last month, Haven of Rest won approval from Bristol’s Planning Commission to build the women’s center, despite vigorous opposition from those at the nearby YWCA of Bristol. YWCA officials raised concerns about having its children’s playground near a facility where adults are recovering from addictions.
This newspaper gave editorial support for the Haven of Rest project, after meeting with officials from both groups. We supported the plan because we believe Haven of Rest and YWCA have common aims for women in Bristol and can work together to benefit women in recovery.
Our support was contingent on locating the women’s facility beside the Y – a logical compromise. We also insisted on new fencing, increased lighting and any other security measures the city deemed necessary. The Haven of Rest has offered to eliminate anyone from its programs with a history of sexual crimes or violent behavior and to implement tougher policies that include fingerprinting and additional background checks.
To date, the Haven of Rest has complied with all these terms and continues to work with the city planning commission and police department to develop a plan to make the area safe and well-lit.
Both centers will provide needed treatment for local people and will create an immediate financial benefit to Bristol. In about three years of generating support, Haven of Rest has raised $700,000 for the new residential program project. The mission is said to be supported by about 150 churches in the region. Combined with the $500,000 grant, construction prices are low enough now that the $1.2 million investment would allow the mission to build two facilities, produce the construction work locally and add jobs on the mission’s staff.
Last week, Haven of Rest Executive Director Wayne Sheridan said he is continuing to work with the city planning commission on a complete campus plan that will include privacy fencing, landscaping and lighting. “No one will be able to hide and no one will be able to walk easily from one side to the other,” Sheridan said.
Sheridan is rightly trying to demonstrate good faith to the YWCA, whose leaders have not supported the location of this project so close to their campus.
But we continue to urge compromise between these neighbors – groups that both care deeply about Bristol and have worked for years to serve the community, but need to build trust as a prerequisite to any future partnership. We believe there are untapped ways the YWCA could serve women with addictions who would be part of the Haven of Rest programs.
The centers are expected to be offered for construction bids next month and the work could begin in February. The bricks and mortar work will be an immediate, tangible sign of progress. Nevertheless, establishing the trust necessary to build lasting partnerships between the Haven of Rest and the YWCA will take much longer.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement