Urbanities,
Vol. 4
·
No 2
·
November 2014
© 2014
Urbanities
13
yet. Let’s see if I can go make arrangements at the halfway house. You can go and stay there”.
I kind of resisted that. I can only say looking back on it, it was good for me. I just couldn’t do
what I wanted’.
Many residents of that work-release house have come and gone, but rarely have these
residents caused a problem with the community. Local police we interviewed said that the
men in the house were not directly responsible for any major crimes in the area. The men
have not robbed any liquor stores in the vicinity. They have not burglarized houses or
committed motor vehicle theft. Sometimes they feel offended by the glares; and sometimes
those glares remind them that they are criminals in the eyes of society. Sometimes they even
regret that people look at them with the contentious glare. More so, one halfway house
resident interviewee told us, ‘Any time you go and apply for a job and you check that
application, you see that little box that says “have you ever been convicted of a felony?” and
sometimes that’s hard for people, really hard for people, man’.
Like all ex-offenders, the strangers on Chestnut Lane are feared and loathed by the
society that surrounds them. But like the citizens of Chestnut Lane, these men have a story to
tell that rarely escape the confines of the house. Many residents do not realize those ‘strange’
men were not sent to the halfway house by coercion but voluntary admitted themselves to use
the resources available to them to re-strengthen their self-discipline and live a drug free life.
One resident, Paul, admitted himself to a halfway house after his wife discovered his alcohol
addiction. Soon after admittance, Paul began to see clearly and the true picture of the
problems his alcoholism caused.
The same can be said for individuals sent to a halfway house after a prison stay. Luis
was sent to a halfway house after a three-year sentence in prison. He credits the vocational
and educational programs for turning his life around. He said that being in those programs
allowed him to obtain and maintain a job, save money, and helped reduce his chances of
succumbing to his substance abuse problems. The halfway house, to Luis, was also a good
transitional place to help with the shift back to life in the community. Programs within and
surrounding a halfway house offer individuals resources and tools to help combat both
internal and external battle they may face.
Political Attempts to Commandeer the NIMBY Battle
One of the more distasteful aspects of the NIMBY battle that perhaps helps to fuel fear among
the local people are the voices of politicians who seek support of the local community. Such
politicians are often merchants of hate, starring up the local populace in fear and contempt. In
truth, it was the politicians who are the actual culprits in the NIMBY battle that is currently
being fought on Chestnut Lane. Allowing the state to place halfway houses and Section 8
housing near the area, the city council made the proverbial ‘deal with the devil’. The influx of
new residents promised in the short run to resuscitate the local economy, but the new
demographic was not capable of sustaining the community.
Yet, while the town council did not originally oppose the moves by the social service
organizations developing the halfway houses, one local politician was quick to play on
sentimental issues. A local councilwoman, Penny, described another part of the problem as,
‘
a
