YWCA expresses opposition to Haven of Rest plan

By Kathy Waugh

The YWCA has a proud history of serving women, teenage girls and children in the Bristol community, providing many services not offered anywhere else in our city. Our ability to continue these services in a safe environment may be in peril if the Bristol Tennessee Planning Commission approves a special use permit on Monday, that will allow a residential treatment facility for recovering substance abuse addicts to locate immediately adjacent to us on Second Street.

This possibility has many concerned, questioning whether the YWCA can continue providing the secure environment they have come to expect and deserve.

Over the years, the YWCA and Haven of Rest have shared more than just a common humanitarian calling. We empathize with the struggles faced by individuals with substance abuse issues. We, too, serve certain clients who are constantly fighting against long odds to overcome some of life’s biggest challenges. However, it is our responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of the hundreds of women, teenage girls and children who are under our supervision when they are at our facility and grounds. A substance abuse treatment facility for people with addictions next door severely compromises those safety assurances.

The YWCA recently sent a letter to the Bristol Tennessee City Council opposing the location of the Haven of Rest facility next to the YWCA and expressing the following concerns:
* The property is directly adjacent to the YWCA childcare playground, not a block away, as has been reported;
* The proposed Haven of Rest facility will not be licensed or regulated by a professional or governmental entity. There is no medical or psychological component to the treatment of the residents suffering from a myriad of addictions;
* Supervision at the facility will be minimal, and residents will be free to leave. Unsupervised visitors could freely congregate in the outdoor area;
* The proposed participant screening process, as described to us, is inadequate. Statistics show that many of those dealing with addictions also suffer from a co-occurring mental illness;
* The YWCA is not a locked facility, and, as mandated by fire code, our child care playground remains unlocked when babies and children are present.

Prior to the conclusion of our meeting with the Haven of Rest Board of Directors, it was suggested that the property could be used as a facility for women instead. Though we have great empathy for those struggling with addictions, our concerns remain the same, whether the facility treats men or women.

You may be surprised to learn that during the course of a typical day, 400 women, teenage girls and children come to the YWCA, drawn by an array of services that are offered well into the late evening.
The YWCA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women (economically) and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. This mission statement drives our services now, just as it has throughout our history in Bristol.

The responsibility to advocate for and protect those who come to us for assistance remains strong. We can’t afford to have them leave us because they feel uneasy or threatened.

Let me give you an idea of the number of people involved. Every year, more than 130 children attend the only licensed daycare and preschool program in Bristol offering sliding-scale fees; 50 middle-school girls are served in the licensed after-school drug-free program; and 36 are served in the teen mother program. Additionally, up to 18 adults are served in our licensed adult day services program, and 550 women focus on their health needs in what was this community’s first gym and spa designated solely for women.

Also, to align with the organization’s mission, 73 women are employed by this agency. Not only that, the YWCA is used each week for girls’ volleyball, church services, community support groups, advocacy activities, computer instruction, neighborhood youth ministry and many other community events.

We all want to live in a safe and strong community. The risk of uncertain behavior is too great if the Haven of Rest is allowed to locate its residential treatment facility adjacent to the YWCA. We have a responsibility to protect the population of women, girls and children we represent. We can’t afford even a single mishap.

We are exercising that responsibility by strongly encouraging the Planning Commission to deny the issuance of a special use permit that would enable the Haven of Rest to locate a residential treatment facility on this property.

We believe the citizens of Bristol would agree that a better location for the Haven of Rest treatment facility must be found.

Kathy Waugh is executive director of the YWCA in Bristol.