The Courier Journal
Wednesday, March 5, 2003

Proposed Halfway House Comes Closer to Reality

Harrison panel OKs nonprofit group's request for $90,000

An effort to build Harrison County's first halfway house for men recovering from drug and alcohol abuse took a major step forward this week.

On Monday night, the Harrison County Community Foundation's board approved a request for $90,000, which will let a nonprofit organization buy two acres near downtown Corydon. The goal is to construct a 32-bed, $700,000 building there.

Although the conditions of the grant still must be negotiated, the foundation's leaders confirmed that they notified halfway-house supporters yesterday of their decision -- a major fund-raising coup for a group that has struggled to find a home.

''I can't say enough good about the foundation,'' Leah Fink, a Corydon defense lawyer, said yesterday. ''This has taken a lot of pressure off.''

The House of New Beginnings, with Fink as president of its board, was formed nearly four years ago to create a place to help people who are trying to rebuild their lives after drug and alcohol addiction.

The group -- which includes lawyers, counselors and court officials -- has contended that many residents of the county must wait -- often for months -- to enter halfway houses in Clarksville, Scottsburg and Louisville. But the volunteers advocating a place in Corydon encountered difficulty finding suitable property and funding.

Corydon zoning officials rejected one proposal and the County Council also refused a request last year for $70,000 to buy property that had proper zoning.

In early January, supporters signed an agreement with the heirs of Leroy Stith to buy a house and two acres at 545 Floyd St. They intend to raze the house and replace it with a one-story building and a large parking lot.

That plan won the approval of the Corydon Plan Commission, which granted a zoning change in early January. The New Beginnings group then applied to the community foundation, and on Monday also persuaded the county commissioners to send a request for $90,000 on to the County Council.

Supporters had said they worried that the foundation might frown on helping them buy real estate rather than donating to the construction.

Steve Gilliland, executive director of the foundation, said yesterday that the foundation appeared to favor the project all along, but its board of directors made the decision official during a closed meeting while examining more than 20 grant applications Monday night. The board mailed letters to other organizations this week and expects to announce all grants early next week, Gilliland said.

The foundation will insist that the halfway-house project get under way within three years, Gilliland said. Otherwise, the land will revert to the foundation for some other charitable endeavor.

That is unlikely to be a problem for New Beginnings, Fink said. Now, the group can complete the purchase and begin applying for grants from state and national organizations. It also leaves them the option of asking county officials to provide money later, if it's needed, she said.

In the meantime, the group can move ahead more easily with public and private fund raising because it can show prospective donors a building site and preliminary architectural drawings.