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Residents press council to relocate proposed Oxford House; recovery peers urge support
Summary
At a public hearing, neighbors urged the City of Effingham to relocate an Oxford House proposed for a single‑family block, citing safety, traffic and property‑value concerns; recovery peers and a county recovery-support specialist defended the model and urged the council to allow locally based recovery options.
Effingham residents packed the council chamber to urge the City Council to halt or relocate a proposed Oxford House in a single‑family (R‑1) neighborhood, while people with lived experience and recovery‑support professionals asked officials to preserve access to community‑based recovery housing.
Donna Hecht, a North Glenwood resident, said neighbors were “blindsided” when the home opened next door and warned that a house housing as many as 14 men would change traffic, parking and the sense of safety on their cul‑de‑sac. “We have young children,” Hecht said. “We’re afraid.”
Several other neighbors echoed that concern. Gene Fureday, who has lived on Glenwood Street for 35 years, said his family’s ability to let children play unsupervised would be lost if the Oxford House stays in…
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