Tag: Drug Treatment Facilities

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Town Hall Meeting on Recovery Homes in Frankford

Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez hosted a town hall style meeting on the topic of recovery houses in Frankford at Sankofa Freedom Academy last Tuesday night.  This was the followup to the meeting held in February of 2009 at St. Joachim.

There was a very good crowd on hand with representatives from both Frankford and Northwood Civic Associations, the Frankford CDC and a large number of residents of Frankford.

Councilwoman Sanchez lead the meeting.  Jorge Santana attended for Representative Tony Payton.  Roland Lamb, the director of Addiction Services, was there.  Doctor Arthur Evans represented the Department of Behavioral Health.  Thomas McDade represented L&I.  Fred Way was there for PMHCC.

All of the experts on the panel made their pitch explaining their function in addressing the problem.  There is no comprehensive legislative approach to solving this problem because, as was pointed out, this problem is really multiple problems manifesting as one.

You have drug treatment providers, good recovery homes,  bad recovery homes, boarding houses and some people that are just plain nuisances.  We have people of good will, ill will and no will.

So where does that leave us?  We as a community have to keep up the pressure.  It doesn’t matter too much to us what the source of the problem is.  The solutions are where we are headed.

  • There are some things that can be done legislatively to limit providers and regulate recovery so that certain standards are maintained.  We have to stand together as a community and demand that those changes be made.
  • We have to stand together with the best of the recovery homes and demand that any others either be brought into compliance or shut down period.
  • We have to demand strict regulation of the drug treatment providers and demand that no others be allowed to set up shop in Frankford.
  • We want to demand that the the Zoning Code Commission add recovery houses and rehabilitation centers to the Zoning Code’s list of Regulated Uses (§
    14-1605); or, at the very least, to the prohibited uses list found in the Frankford Special Services District
    Controls Overlay (§ 14-1623).

Now here is the hard part.  We cannot change the economic forces that made Frankford ripe for exploitation but we can decide to work together to fight them.  Time is on our side.  In ten years, give or take a few, our problem will be how to preserve the neighborhood from becoming another Northern Liberties.  Right now are are waging a holding action until the tide changes in that direction.

Now a word of praise for a guy who does his best to just tell a story.  Toward the end of the meeting questions were taken from the audience.  That is always interesting in Frankford but in this case there were a lot of good questions from very sincere people.  At the end, john Loftus of the Northeast Times stood and said something that kind of hit the mark.  Paraphrasing it, he said there is nobody in this audience who doubts the need for recovery services.  That is not the issue.  The question is why are they all here.  Why should they all be here. Why are they all here, far in excess in proportion to the population.  That is what the community wants to know and there has not yet been a satisfactory answer to that question.

The process is ongoing.  Thanks to Councilwoman Sanchez for having this meeting and pledging to meet with the Frankford Recovery Coalition.  The more parties at the table, the more likely we are to make some progress.  A followup meeting may be scheduled for as early as September.

Read the full story from Northeast Times here.

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Coming Up in Frankford

  • Frankford/Northwood Spring Resource Fair
    When – Sat, June 19, 10am – 1pm
    Where – 4600 block of Paul Street, Philadelphia, PA 19124 (map)
    Description – Come join us for a day of fun, free food, activities and prizes. Sponsored by the Northeast Epic Stakeholders Group, Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez and State Representative Tony Payton.
  • Town Hall Meeting
    When – Tue, June 22, 6pm – 8pm
    Where – Sankofa Freedom Academy, 4256 Paul St., Philadelphia, PA 19124 (map)
    Description – Town Hall Meeting on drug rehabilitation facilities and housing for recovering addicts. Drug rehabilitation and recovery have been of particular concern to Frankford residents, who have complained to city officials, including councilwoman Sanchez, about the large number of these facilities in Frankford.
  • BUSINESS CARD EXCHANGE
    When – Thu, June 24, 12pm – 2pm
    Where – Agape Restaurant, 4524-26 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19124 (map)
    Description – The Frankford Business and Professional Association is hosting a Business Card Exchange for all local businesses, and organizations. Opportunity to network with other entrepreneurs and promote your business. Please join us for the Annual Business Card Exchange. This is a great opportunity to come meet other local merchants, share ideas, network, and promote your business. You can also learn about the other programs FBPA is working on such as commercial corridor block captions, UnLitter Us in Frankford, Frankford Avenue promotions and much more. Lunch will be served, please RSVP so we know how many to expect.
  • Northeast Philadelphia EPIC Stakeholders Group
    When – Thu, June 24, 5:30pm – 7:30pm
    Where – Edmunds School, 1197 Haworth St. Philadelphia, PA 19124 (map)
    Description – The ultimate goal is to create a process that enhances the community’s ability to solve issues surrounding truancy, domestic violence, child safety and substance abuse.
  • Mayor Nutter Walks Frankford Avenie
    When – Sat, June 26, 9am – 12pm
    Where – Frankford Avenue Business District (map)
    Description – Details to be announced
  • Frankford Civic Association Meeting
    When – Thu, July 8, 7pm – 8pm
    Where2nd floor conference room, Aria Health, 4900 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19124 (map)
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Coming Up in Frankford

  • Neighborhood Cleanup
    When – Sat, June 12, 9am – 12pm
    Where – Paul Street and Frankford Avenue (map)
    Description – Volunteers will work on a property there as well as at Hedge and Orthodox streets and at Tackawanna and Meadow streets.
  • Northwood Civic Association Meeting
    When – Tue, June 15, 7pm – 8pm
    Where – St. James Lutheran Church, at Castor Avenue and Pratt Street.  (map) District Attorney Seth Williams is scheduled to appear
  • Frankford/Northwood Spring Resource Fair
    When – Sat, June 19, 10am – 1pm
    Where – 4600 block of Paul Street, Philadelphia, PA 19124 (map)
    Description – Come join us for a day of fun, free food, activities and prizes. Sponsored by the Northeast Epic Stakeholders Group, Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez and State Representative Tony Payton.
  • Town Hall Meeting
    When – Tue, June 22, 6pm – 8pm
    Where – Sankofa Freedom Academy, 4256 Paul St., Philadelphia, PA 19124 (map)
    Description – Town Hall Meeting on drug rehabilitation facilities and housing for recovering addicts. Drug rehabilitation and recovery have been of particular concern to Frankford residents, who have complained to city officials, including councilwoman Sanchez, about the large number of these facilities in Frankford.
  • BUSINESS CARD EXCHANGE
    When – Thu, June 24, 12pm – 2pm
    Where – Agape Restaurant, 4524-26 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19124 (map)
    Description – The Frankford Business and Professional Association is hosting a Business Card Exchange for all local businesses, and organizations. Opportunity to network with other entrepreneurs and promote your business. Please join us for the Annual Business Card Exchange. This is a great opportunity to come meet other local merchants, share ideas, network, and promote your business. You can also learn about the other programs FBPA is working on such as commercial corridor block captions, UnLitter Us in Frankford, Frankford Avenue promotions and much more. Lunch will be served, please RSVP so we know how many to expect.
  • Northeast Philadelphia EPIC Stakeholders Group
    When – Thu, June 24, 5:30pm – 7:30pm
    Where – Edmunds School, 1197 Haworth St. Philadelphia, PA 19124 (map)
    Description – The ultimate goal is to create a process that enhances the community’s ability to solve issues surrounding truancy, domestic violence, child safety and substance abuse.
  • Frankford Civic Association Meeting
    When – Thu, July 8, 7pm – 8pm
    Where2nd floor conference room, Aria Health, 4900 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19124 (map)
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Dan Savage Responds to Councilwoman Maria-Quinonez Sanchez

Back in February I posted a bit about the recovery house issue.  It was the one year anniversary since the town hall meeting called to discuss the issue and the promise made to return to the community had not been fulfilled. Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez offered a response which I posted here.

Recently I was contacted by Dan Savage, our former Councilman, with some words of clarification.  They follow in full below.

As a life long resident of Frankford, I feel compelled to set the record straight.

Frankford is my passion. I went to grade school at St. Joachim’s and learned to play basketball at the Deni Basketball Courts. I played at Overington Park and my friends played football for the Frankford Chargers at Whitehall which is now known as Gambrel Recreation Center.  After school, I would walk up Frankford Avenue. I would stop at Schwartz’s Pretzels or get a slice of pizza at Leandro’s with my friends. Sometimes I would stop for a haircut at Lorenzo’s where I still get my haircut today.

I have great memories of Frankford and wish for brighter days for the neighborhood my family has lived in for 4 generations.

For 13 months, I had the privilege and opportunity to serve the people of Frankford from November 27, 2006 to January 7, 2008 as Councilman. The first minute I got in office, I used the resources available to a Councilperson to fight for Frankford.

I was the Councilman who had the basketball courts remilled and color coated at Deni Playground because I wanted the kids to enjoy Deni like I did. I had over $1.6 million (on top of the $1.3 million I helped get donated for Operation Field Rescue) put into Gambrel Recreation Center because the Frankford Chargers deserved a better home.  I placed over $93,000 into the restoration of the historic stonewall at Overington Park because I am invested in the neighborhood. In addition, I had new basketball backboards and swings installed as well as the fencing fixed at Wilmot Park (known as the “The Square” to people in the neighborhood).

I allocated $1 million to the Frankford Avenue Business Corridor to help revitalize the avenue. Councilwoman Sanchez moved that money the first month in her term. In addition, she introduced a bill in Council to terminate the Frankford Special Services District. I allocated $450,000 and already had landscape architects working on putting a spraypark at the old tennis courts at Deni Playground. Councilwoman Sanchez moved that money from Frankford.

When it comes to recovery houses, I fought them before I was in Council, during my term, and even today. Mayor Rendell brought us recovery houses in 1995.  Please see below the excerpt from the DBH website.

In 1995, the Philadelphia Coordinating Office for Drug and Alcohol Abuse Programs (now known as the Office of Addiction Services) established a recovery house system for persons enrolled in state-licensed outpatient substance abuse programs. The goal was to improve treatment outcomes by placing people in a positive, stable living environment that is conducive to recovery. (http://www.dbhmrs.org/recovery-house-initiative )

This is a laudable goal. Unfortunately, because there is a lack of adequate control and monitoring, these recovery houses create problems for the stability and welfare of the communities where they are placed.

If recovery houses or drug treatment centers do not have to go before the Zoning Board, they can only be stopped by the Administration (Dept. of Behavioral Health/Office of Addiction Services). It has to come from the top.

After reading the response of Councilwoman Sanchez to your article regarding the recovery houses, I felt compelled to set the record straight. This is not the first time Councilwoman Sanchez has taken credit for the works of other people in Frankford. The bottom line is she did not come through on her plans for the “recovery task force”. At the end of her long response, she still did not address your initial concern. Instead, she took it as an opportunity to run off a laundry list of good things that happened in Frankford. Unfortunately, she had nothing or very little to do with any of them.

Daniel J. Savage