Making a tough decision: Cooper City residents come together to discuss the potential continuation of a local recovery home

BY RYAN MERARD

On Thursday afternoon, March 7, Cooper City residents and commissioners gathered in the city hall auditorium to discuss a petition request about using local property as a recovery home for former drug users.

During this public hearing, city clerk Kathryn Sims continually interrogated the petition’s applicant, Bryan Alzate, to inform the community about what to expect if the recovery home is put in place. Following this, Cooper City citizens took turns expressing their thoughts about this potential sober living home.

“We don’t allow anybody who has a violent history,” Alzate said. “All these people [had to] have completed treatment and have a minimum of 45 days off of all drugs prior to coming to the house. We also conduct screenings to make sure the people are mentally stable to live with others.”

This recovery home is located at 4900 SW 94th Ave. Cooper City, FL 33328. The type of people that would be in this home are those who have been subject to substance abuse in the past. According to Alzate, this home has six bedrooms, so it is expected to hold a maximum of 12 people.

The purpose of this sober living home would be to help those who have struggled with drug abuse in the past find a place to settle and re-enter society as a sober person.

The residents of this home would have to meet a number of requirements before being eligible to live there. For example, people looking to live in this home cannot have any violent offenses on their criminal record. Also, they are required to be clinically approved by the United Recovery Project (URP).

The United Recovery Program is the program that chose Cooper City as the area to place their next sober living home. This is a South Florida-based organization that seeks to help those who have suffered from addiction and substance abuse.

“We don’t allow anybody who has a violent history,” Alzate said. “All these people [had to] have completed treatment and have a minimum of 45 days off of all drugs prior to coming to the house. We also conduct screenings to make sure the people are mentally stable to live with others.”

However, if Alzate does not comply with the verdict, he can appeal it to the city commissioners. This would lead to the scheduling of another public hearing.

Once being qualified to live in the home, the residents are expected to buy their own food, cook, pay rent and perform chores to keep the home in an orderly fashion. They are also required to have jobs in order to provide for themselves. Residents are also under a curfew, needing to be in the house by 8 p.m. on weekdays and 10 p.m. on weekends.

Despite all the requirements and rules put in place for the residents, many Cooper City citizens dislike the idea of having people who have been heavy drug users all grouped together in one house. Those against the recovery home believe that, if one recovery home was put in Cooper City, then other people would be encouraged to start their own sober living houses in the city, which may cause even more issues.

“Nobody says that people with drug addictions shouldn’t be treated,” Cooper City resident Camilo Hernandez said. “They should be treated, that’s fine, in a commercial area where there are other businesses, but not in a residential area like Cooper City. Not in an area where people send their kids to school and hope their kids are in a safe community.”

“These types of group homes have no place in a single family residence area,” Cooper City resident Paul Perry said.

The city clerk, commissioners and other government personnel will further discuss among themselves to determine whether or not Alzate and his associates should be permitted to establish this rehabilitation home. They have 30 days to give a final verdict on whether the recovery home will be shut down, or if it will continue to go on. However, if Alzate does not comply with the verdict, he can appeal it to the city commissioners. This would lead to the scheduling of another public hearing.

Overall, the majority of citizens who were present at the public hearing are against the installation of a sober group home in Cooper City. With many factors in play such as safety, property values of houses possibly dropping and the potential spread of these homes throughout the city, residents are not willing to take the chance of establishing a recovery home in the residential area.

“These types of group homes have no place in a single family residence area,” Cooper City resident Paul Perry said. “The way the city makes its money is through our taxes and if that house was to remain, property values in this community would slowly go down.”

Photo courtesy of Discover Homes