Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston said this week that the county is moving forward with plans to create two new facilities meant to help troubled people – a new 70- to 100-bed substance abuse center providing long- term care and a new 70- to 100-bed mental health facility that will also offer long-term care.
On Wednesday, Nov. 30, Alston and three other county commissioners are meeting with some mayors and other elected leaders, county staff, representatives of community groups and other stakeholders. The planned treatment centers will be discussed along with other strategies meant to address the problem of homelessness in Guilford County.
Alston said it’s impossible to tackle the problem of homelessness without dealing with drug issues and the mental health challenges that often lead to homelessness.
He said that’s why the two new facilities are so important.
“It’s urgent,” Alston said emphatically of the need to build the two facilities. “I want to see the ribbon-cutting by this time next year.”
He said the goal is to get as many homeless people as possible off the streets using the two new centers before the weather turns cold in late 2023.
Currently, county staff is exploring options including everything from constructing new buildings to renovating existing ones. County officials are also exploring the possibility of having one large facility with two wings – one offering long-term care to substance abusers and one offering the same to those with mental health issues.
Alston added that it’s not yet known how much it will cost to establish the centers and operate them each year; however, he said, very preliminary data suggests the centers will cost $5 million to $6 million each to build – with each costing perhaps $1 million to $1.5 million a year to operate.
Odd, when I emailed Skip to assist me with an unnecessary eviction, leaving me homeless, he didn’t so much as reply to my request. The article gets his name in the paper but I have zero confidence in its realization.
A substance abuse facility for inmates who are actually abusing drugs sounds like a good idea.
I also support jail for those who refuse to accept treatment. Or, you can bus them to the center of Progressive thought in NC – Chapel Hill.
Who pays for this extravagant enabling?
Maybe some Covid funds? Just asking.
It’s called taxation without representation.
Seems like only yesterday the County operated a Mental Health department with full-time employees, counselors, admin staff, etc. Billie Martin Pierce was the director, and a good one.
Then, for various reasons (supposedly financial), mental health was “outsourced” to a private company with headquarters in the eastern part of the state, presumably to save the county millions of dollars, which of course meant local employees lost their jobs.
So it seems odd the county is getting back into the mental health business. And if you smell something, they will say it’s a matter of controlling costs, but we all know it’s called politics.
Is this open to the public? I lost my granddaughter 10/8/2021 to fentanyl poisoning!
Will they be prescribing mood altering drug that have self harm and violent episodes as side effects? Will this be for involuntary commitments like being pushed by NY city’s Mayor? Why has career politician Skippy finally moved to spend any money at all to address the least among us? How about tax relief to prevent more folks from struggling paycheck to paycheck? More bureaucracy solves little except spending tax revenue.