White Plains CitizeNetReporter - Resident Supports King on Group Home Exclusion Effort

Letters to WPCNR: A resident writes in support of Councilman William King's stance against placing a group home for foster teen-age children in the care of the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services.

Bill,
This is exactly the kind of leadership we been searching for, someone to standup for the City of White Plains and realizing the spiritual value and integrity of our neighborhoods. It's times like this that demonstrates the value of our public officials, and also provides the community with information about which officials and organizations are in touch with the communities.

Although White Plains is not opposed to Group Homes, the homes should conform to our neighborhoods in a non-disruptive manner.

Placing 10-12 teenagers with a couple of hired counselors within feet of single family homes hardly constitutes a family environment. The sheer volume and magnitude of additional activity from the home, will alter the neighborhood significantly. The Group Home is totally out of character with the neighborhood.

In addition, this so called family environment has proven to be a complete failure by the vast number of missing kids at each Group Home in White Plains each year. In observance of these reports, it appears we will also have to live with increased police activity which is not of the type this neighborhood is accustomed to. Information on trouble reports for each Group Home can be obtained from the White Plains Police Dept.

I know you have listened to some White Plains residents who have experienced living around these group homes, and heard some devastating stories. Stories that you can not find in a police report. In White Plains we have many, many citizens that have and want to tell their stories.

The reality is that these Group Homes have and will continue to damage neighborhoods, and destroy the dream that many of us spent years working for to move into a family neighborhood. This situation has also caused anxiety to the young child in my home and to surrounding homes, as well as to the parents.

I can continue to list the negative impact that these homes have on our neighborhood, but I am challenged to see the benefits.

I hope you get the support to challenge this issue from other City Officials and Organizations, because it is clearly wrong. Words such as "We cant do anything, it is the Law" or " This problem belongs to another dept " are not acceptable to this community. We need motivated officials such as yourself, that understand the value and vital protection of the neighborhoods of White Plains.

F.C.


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