City approves new VOA re-entry facility for women

MANSFIELD — Volunteers of America was given the green light to move ahead with plans to build a new women’s re-entry facility at 921 N. Main St.  

The City Planning Commission on Tuesday approved a conditional use permit and site plan that calls for the construction of a 4,200-square-foot halfway house approximately 150 feet from the VOA’s re-entry facility for men.

Dennis Kresak, president/CEO of Volunteers of America of Greater Ohio, was thrilled by the City Planning Commission’s approval.

“This is great news,” he said. “We’ll start building right away.”

The 35-bed, dorm-style facility will take approximately six months to build. It will resemble the existing men’s facility on the exterior and will feature a central gathering room, dining hall and central bathroom.

It will serve formerly incarcerated women, some of whom are eligible for early release from prison due to judicial release. Services include intensive case management, group and individual counseling, substance abuse counseling, job-readiness, skill development and referrals to community resources.

Three women who were or are currently residents of the VOA halfway house at 280 N. Main St. shared what a difference the VOA has made in their lives by helping them obtain employment, reintegrate in the community and reconnect with their family members.

One said the program “literally saved my life.”

Because of a deed restriction, the VOA is unable to operate its residential re-entry program for women at 280 N. Main St.

According to a declaration of covenants and restrictions made Dec. 26, 2012, the building at 280 N. Main St. (along with eight other parcels owned by the VOA), cannot be used as a correctional facility at any time.

“Correctional facilities include, but are not limited to alternative residential facilities, community based correctional facilities, halfway houses, and community correctional facilities,” the declaration reads. 

The halfway house opened last fall; however, city officials were unaware of this until earlier this year.

According to Mayor Tim Theaker, VOA officials did not go through the city’s codes and permits department before opening.

The VOA did, however, approach the Richland County commissioners and Common Pleas Court judges for letters of support for program funding from the state. 

“It’s disappointing to me because the city knew nothing about it,” Theaker said.

Kresak said it was his own mistake.

“Eight months prior to moving out of our building at 290 North Main, I signed a document that I thought prohibited me from providing correctional services in that building again,” he said. “Eight months prior to that, I received the other parcels that I signed off on saying that I would not provide correctional services on those, and those documents came from my attorney in Cleveland…I had no idea that I would even be considering providing correctional services on plots that had no buildings on them. I thought in error.”

When the VOA approached the commissioners and judges for support, they didn’t have malicious or deceptive intentions, Kresak said.

“I wouldn’t be that naive to think that this would not be noticed later,” Kresak said.

Theaker asked what the VOA planned on doing with the residents while the facility is being built, seeing that the VOA was issued a cease and desist letter that day.

RoEllen Sinkewich, vice president of program operations and residential re-entry programs at the VOA of Greater Ohio, said they’d like to continue operating at 280 N. Main St., though if need be, they can be placed in the VOA’s other facilities or arrangements can be made with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction to temporarily house them elsewhere.

She discussed the advantages of having a halfway house in the community, saying it helps prevent a “revolving door” in which offenders end up in jail again not long after they’re released.

“We do these kind of programs at considerable expense to the agency,” Kresak added. “If I build this new program, there’s no way we’re going to get that money back. That’s on our dime, but we’re so committed to run these programs that I’m willing to do that.”

Others voiced their support of the facility, including representatives of Abundant Life Tabernacle Church, Berean Baptist Church, Richland County Adult Probation and the Richland County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board.

The commission gave their approval of the site plan on the condition that the VOA work with the codes and permits department to ensure that it meets all the requirements, including adding more parking spaces and a detention basin.