Pawtuxet neighbors have continuing concerns with Fair House residents

Neighbors of Fair House in Pawtuxet, the historic mansion that has been preserved to provide permanent housing for 10 homeless individuals, have called on the mayor to “assist us in getting this project on track, so that the peace, safety and real value of our neighborhood are re-established.”

In a letter co-signed by four South Fair Street residents, the group representing the concerns of 27 neighbors who met on Aug. 21, list six problems relating to Fair House and its tenants. They include loud and obscene arguments between residents, audible a half block from the property; lack of a fence that was promised; frequent episodes of violent behavior and trespassing on neighboring properties requiring police assistance; concerns for the safety of neighboring residents; concern that obscene language may be developmentally traumatic to young children in the area and concern for the welfare of at least one Fair House resident who has required three rescue responses in 10 days.

“We are working with the city and the landscaper to install a fence along the back side of the property,” Laura Jaworski, executive director of the House of Hope said Tuesday. The House of Hope owns and manages Fair House as well as the adjoining house at 67 Fair Street, which is, likewise, a historic house renovated for housing. Jaworski said the fence, which will be about 160 feet long, will end shy of South Fair Street but provide privacy to those homes behind Fair House.

Jaworski said the letter signed by Valeria Bataille, Maxwell Pounder, Carol Ann Buckley and David D. Prior would be reviewed by the House of Hope board of directors, “and we’ll take it from there.”

In an email Wednesday, Mayor Scott Avedisian said, “The staff at the House of Hope has been very understanding of the neighbors’ views. They are working on diligently staffing the center. We will continue to work with them to make sure that this facility operates appropriately and is in concert and harmony with the neighbors.”

Jaworski addressed some of the issues raised and outlined measures being taken. She said most of the disturbances have been narrowed down to one individual and that if conditions fail to improve, “it could lead to placement elsewhere.”

Speaking of introducing homeless people into permanent housing, Jaworski said, “the first 90 days are critical to becoming stabilized…it doesn’t work for everyone.”

She said there are two steps to the process and that, in addition to finding housing for the homeless, the role of the House of Hope is to provide services to help people transition.

Asked about the resident who has required rescue services, Jaworski said, “If it is determined an individual requires a higher level of care we’ll work to make that happen.” She noted that in transitioning from living on the street where they have periodic, if any, medical care, people are in a situation where they have a home and ongoing care.

“They are able to negotiate those ailments at home and not in the street,” she said.

Within two weeks of initial neighborhood complaints about disturbances at Fair House earlier this summer, Jaworski held a community meeting at St. Peter Church attended by about 40 people, including Ward 1 Councilman Richard Corley and representatives of the Police Department. At that time, Jaworski announced a change in the working schedule of the case manager so as to put House of Hope personnel on the premises in the early night and at times during the weekend. Police urged the neighbors to call them when there are disturbances rather than the House of Hope.

In their letter, the neighbors expressed their feeling that Jaworski dismissed their concerns and that House of Hope management considered them to be “an annoying obstacle.”

They write, “There was a consensus at the meeting [the one held by neighbors on Aug. 21] that the problem generally is not with the residents themselves, but rather with the management tasked with choosing, housing and overseeing the residents. Many of us who have supported and welcomed this project from its inception felt betrayed because we had been told that there should be no problem integrating Fair House into the neighborhood and that the house would be managed in the same manner as the adjacent House of Hope facility.”

They go on to say they have learned that the population at Fair House “is among the most challenged of the long-term homeless with untreated addiction and health issues, for which services need to be provided.”

Jaworski said three House of Hope personnel have been dedicated to Fair House, including a full-time case manager and two staff. In addition, she said, a program manager, maintenance technician and other staff are working on the situation for a total of more than 80 hours a week.

Jaworski also responded to a complaint about the noise of an outside air conditioning system that was so loud that it forced one neighbor from using their porch. She said there is no centralized air conditioning system for the building and was aware of only two small window units.