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Crook County and BestCare discuss six-unit mental-health housing plan near Madras
Summary
BestCare briefed commissioners on a proposed six-unit mental-health housing project near Madras intended for Crook County residents with severe and persistent mental illness; commissioners pressed for written rules, safety measures and clear eligibility before approving an on-site lease or development agreement.
BestCare representatives outlined a proposal for a six-unit mental-health housing project near Madras and answered commissioners' questions but received no formal approval at the Oct. 29 work session.
Melissa of BestCare said the homes are intended for Crook County residents with severe and persistent mental illness and that residents would be required to engage in mental-health services. ‘‘The idea of creating an environment where they can live, they have to engage in treatment, and there is the ability to monitor, support, provide wraparound services to them is really the idea of mental health housing,’’ Melissa said. She told commissioners the program is not designed to be a sober house and that co-occurring substance use may occur among some residents.
Commissioners pressed for specifics: whether the site on Fort Street (the building described as the former Imagine Freedom) would be fenced, how staffing would be scheduled, whether a crosswalk or other traffic accommodations would be needed for residents to access an off-site clubhouse, and how removal would be handled for residents who repeatedly interacted negatively with police. County officials asked that BestCare produce written parameters and clear eligibility and removal rules before the project advances on a consent agenda or planning track.
BestCare said eligibility would be limited to Crook County residents, that some residents could occupy units long term and that supported-employment efforts would be part of the transition plan for those able to work. Melissa said many jurisdictions across the state operate similar mental-health housing successfully and that the county could adopt existing operating requirements and present them to the public. ‘‘If someone is unwilling to do that, they will not be in this home,’’ Melissa said about the engagement requirement.
The board welcomed continued dialogue and asked staff and BestCare to produce written program rules, clarify staffing and supervision levels, and consider traffic and site improvements before any formal land-use approval or lease is placed on a future agenda.
