Statement to Decatur Residents
Decatur Residents,
As you probably know, the Peer Support and Wellness Center (PSWC) has been the subject of controversy due to a recent neighborhood zoning dispute. We at the PSWC are, above all, saddened by the recent events and regret the unease it has caused to our guests and members of the community. Over the previous months, the details of this dispute have been the subject of many blogs and blog comments, and have been muddied as a result. Since the PSWC has remained silent throughout, we wanted to share some of the details of our program and life at the center so that everyone, even if opposed, might understand our place in Decatur Heights.Our program is part of a much larger entity called the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network (GMHCN). The GMHCN is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation which has been established in Georgia for over ten years. The funding for the PSWC comes entirely from the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. Our records are subject to inspection by the Department without any notice and we are also required to comply with all State and federal laws. Pursuant to our contract with the State, the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, the State of Georgia, and the United States government may inspect the records and operations of the PSWC at any time. We have had inspectors from both the Department and the State visit our house and praise our operation.Life at the PSWC is cordial and family-like. We form relationships with our guests and we rely on each other for support. Our mission at the PSWC is to provide peer support to our friends and visitors following the widely-recognized Intentional Peer Support Model. We do not provide any medical services, and we do not dispense medication. We only provide Peer Support for our guests and each other.We offer our support to the community in three ways. Our primary operation is our respite house. We allow up to three guests to stay with us at a time, and each one may stay for up to a week. Each person is given her or his own bedroom, and they share in the common areas of the house. One employee of the PSWC lives at our house, providing support to our guests.In addition to being a respite house, we host daytime activities for both our respite guests and other visitors. These activities vary. Sometimes we sit around and talk, sometimes we go out to a movie. We have Wellness Activities facilitated by Certified Peer Specialists. We try to have about a dozen guests to the house each day, but numbers do fluctuate. Finally, we also have a “Warm Line” which is a telephone line operated 24 hours a day by Certified Peer Specialists. All of our services and activities are open to any self-referred consumer of mental health services who is seeking a few days of help and support or who wants to have a place to go to see or meet some friends.Most of our visitors walk to and from the house from the MARTA station just a few blocks away. Since we're so close to the MARTA station, our guests generally do not walk through the majority of the Decatur Heights neighborhood. While traffic is generally minimal and not noticed by neighbors, in the past we did receive complaints about the noise caused by a few visitors being dropped off at the house. As soon as we received these complaints, we immediately changed our procedures and services and implemented strict loitering rules. The simple rule now is that if someone loiters on the house property or the vicinity of the house before or after hours, that person will be asked to leave and not return to the PSWC. Aside from that, there have been very few complaints in our two years in Decatur Heights and no specific incidents complained of by the neighbors.We like the Decatur Heights neighborhood and until recently we felt welcomed here, and even the local Church allows us to use its facilities. Sadly, though, there are some in the neighborhood who, for whatever reason, are opposed to this program being located in a residential area. We are most saddened by this because in order for our program to succeed, we must be located in a residential area. The feeling of community and comfort at the PSWC could not be duplicated in a more sterile setting. Finding our house on Sycamore Drive took a lot of hard work and there are not many like it. We were excited because it was tucked away and gave us space and privacy and it was surrounded by a beautiful neighborhood with a real feeling of community. Despite some neighbors' opinions, we cannot move to a non-residential district for the very reason that we are serving as a place to help reintegrate others back into the community. Further isolation would only exacerbate the problem we are trying to solve. We are regretful that disagreements have now been reduced to legal battles. However, if the PSWC's daytime operations are canceled, the Center will be in breach of its contract with the State. In that regard, we are obliged to pursue all legal remedies available to us. Many of you have offered support to the center and we thank you for your kind words. For those who are curious about our operation, please feel free to email us and we will be happy to answer your questions. Best Wishes,
The PSWC staff and friends
