John Larivee is with Community Resources for Justice…
That’s one of two groups working to bring a federal halfway house to Manchester.
His organization currently runs three of them in the Boston area.
They provide housing for federal inmates who are currently making the transition from prison back to society.
And Larivee says in his line of work, he has come to expect communities to reject a new halfway house.
And the response is usually the same….Not in my backyard.
5:10 the testimony that it’s a great program but not here is what we hear every time, not just our own agency, but any agency, every time you are introducing this to a new community, everyone thinks they are wonderful, well run necessary programs but not here
Larivee says that's not an easy argument to challenge
But he says he tries to show people that no matter where halfway houses are located, they become a normal part of the neighborhood.
4:48 if you envision any kind of neighborhood, commercial, warehouse district, residential neighborhood, low income housing, very expensive condominium housing, we are located right in the middle of that
Two different organizations have plans to build halfway houses in Manchester.
The Boston based group Community Resources for Justice presented their proposal to the zoning board a few weeks ago.
A group from Connecticut is expected to go before the zoning board after the New Year.
Each would have about 20 occupants at any given time.
The residents would be people who have committed a federal crime, and are either from the Manchester area or were convicted in the area…
Prisoners who take part in such programs have usually committed offenses ranging from white collar crimes like check forging to fire arms or drug possession.
The site that Community Resources for Justice is proposing is just north of downtown Manchester in a busy low income residential neighborhood.
Paul Stewart manages the building two doors down from the proposed site..
In fact he manages several buildings of low income housing and is very familiar with the “not in my backyard†refrain.
But Stewart says that particular spot is wrong for a halfway house.
2:25 we’re concerned the halfway house would not have a positive influence on our neighborhoods, our residents are lower income who are hardworking families with lots of kids, that particular property alone has in the neighborhood of 200 kids
Stewart also worries that the presence of a halfway house would drive away potential tenants.
Whether a halfway house in a neighborhood deters potential renters or home buyers may be difficult to determine.
But a study of halfway houses in Washington, DC a few years ago reports that these facilities do not effect communities as expected.
Property values did not drop.
And crime did not increase.
Eric Lotke is with the Justice Policy Institute, one of the groups that commissioned the study.
4:43 what they found is that property values went up everywhere, this was the late 90s when property values were going up everywhere and they went up in DC and in they went up in the zip codes that included these ½ way houses, they even went up on the street that included ½ way houses or residential treatment facilities, in some places they went up a little more some a little less, but generally speaking they went up and there’s no real correlation where they went up more and where they went up less
Lotke says the study found similar results for crime rates.
He says in DC during the late 90s, crime overall was decreasing.
And it was no different in neighborhoods with residential treatment programs.
Lotke adds that it only makes sense that felons, while in a halfway house, would be unlikely to commit another crime.
9:23 They know if they keep their nose clean for another couple of weeks or months then they are done with the prison part of their term, they know if they mess up now, they’re going back to prison, and so the incentive is pretty clear, the prison experience is fresh on their mind, the halfway house is a whole lot better than a prison
A halfway house in Manchester would be the first federal one in the state.
There has been one in Portland, Maine for about 30 years.
Portland Police Chief Mike Chitwood says in his 16 years he’s had very few problems with the facility.
And he says he has seen no evidence that the halfway house has contributed to an increase in crime.
But he says that doesn’t mean he’s entirely comfortable with who comes in and out of it.
Track 2 :14
2:00 the downside of these facilities is that they don’t spend enough time working with the local law enforcement community to inform them who’s going to be in the facility, for how long they’re going to be there, and are they are potential danger, its one thing to say they are non violent but when you look and find out they’ve been convicted of armed robbery, robbing banks, robbing check cashing establishments, these guys are dangerous guys
In Manchester, the current chief of police has come out against a federal halfway house.
But one of his predecessors supports the plan.
Lewis Craig was Manchester’s police chief from 1990 to 1994.
Craig says there are large numbers of former federal criminals residing in Manchester anyway.
He says the city would be missing an opportunity if it didn't give them a chance for a smoother transition.
8:50 if you had a brother or sister who spent time in a prison and was left at a homeless shelter or just released without any guidance or assistance on a daily basis what is the chances of that person, your brother or sister, going back to prison again, they are pretty good they would be headed back as opposed to going to a halfway house where he can find a job, stay off drugs, stay off alcohol, reconnecting with family, all these things are so essential
For the two groups working to bring federal halfway houses to Manchester, winning the PR battle is just one step.
They have to get approval from the city to continue moving forward with the program.
The next step will be in early January before the Manchester zoning board.
At that point city official will have to decide whether the halfway house should be considered a correctional facility or congregate housing.
For NHPR news, I’m RK
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