CALCUTTA — There were a lot of questions and answers for the first hour until discussions between a local church congregation and neighbors of a St. Clair Township neighborhood broke down halfway through a meeting about a proposed transitional house.

Nearly 75 were in attendance, including St. Clair Township’s three trustees, for the meeting held a little over an hour Monday night at a township community building.

Neighbors had reserved the room to discuss a proposed transitional house at a single-family home located at 49621 S. Hollywood Blvd. by the House of Prayer, which would house up to 12 women rebounding from drugs, alcohol or troubled backgrounds.

Prior to the meeting, more than 40 church members gathered in the parking lot, holding hands, to pray before the meeting that began with neighbor Jim Chan breaching the conversation. “We have all had friends or family that have been affected by drugs, and we all have heartfelt stories,” he explained. “We all totally agree with the concept of what you are trying to do. The issue is where you are putting it. This is an older, quiet, well established family neighborhood.”

Residents expressed concerns of property values, additional traffic and the presence of a known drug house on Moore Avenue one block away from the proposed site. “Please remember you have brought this issue into our neighborhood — not us to you, so please understand our concerns,” Chan added.

Pastor Kim Gadd from the church attempted to provide an overview of plans for the house in order to try and calm concerns. She revealed that the lease of the home, which has four bedrooms and five bathrooms, was donated to the church for use as transitional housing for their longstanding recovery program for five years. Occupants will apply for one of 12 spots and priority is given to locals, Eastern Ohio Correctional Center residents and those graduating from other recovery homes throughout the state of Ohio.

In a letter to neighbors distributed at the meeting, Gadd and her husband detailed how their church, which has been established for four decades, hopes to provide the help people need to live productive lives to stop the increase in drug-related deaths and crime.

“The structure of a transition house allows the women to hold each other accountable, while encouraging and uplifting each other,” the couple details. “All residents are required to keep the house clean and neat both inside and out. All residents will be subject to random (urine and breath) drug testing and must attend two weekly church services plus a recovery meeting per week as well as sustain employment while living in the house.

“Living in this type of environment can promote lasting and lifelong recovery.”

Residents discovered to be test “unclean” will be transported to Trinity Medical Center for three days of treatment, Gadd explained to the crowd before introducing one of the house managers for the property.

Alicia Greathouse, who works as a counselor at the EOCC and is licensed, described the home as a possible alternate to incarceration for many possible residents. “This home is an opportunity for them to get away from harmful influences in a Christ-centric environment,” Greathouse explained.

In addition to Greathouse, there is expected to be additional house managers, all who are there on a volunteer basis, explained Gadd. She continued to reassure neighbors that the church is committed to “do everything within (their) power to be a good neighbor.”

Eloise Traina, longtime director of the Family Recovery Center in Lisbon, shared information about a similar building in Lisbon called the Fleming House, which has provided 18- to 24-month residencies for women for almost 20 years. “I don’t recall us ever having the police there,” she said, urging, “I hope you will accept this kind of house, and the neighborhood will encourage them. Recovery is not an easy task.”

An unidentified neighbor told the church that he feels like he was blindsided, while another offered alternate site options that would keep the house out of his neighborhood and be located near an active drug rehab facility on St. Clair Avenue.

Eventually, the dialogue became heated between both sides, drawing the ire of St. Clair Township police who were present to oversee security and the meeting broke up after some neighbors directed some profanities towards the church effort.

Gadd had promised to deliver a copy of both the house’s proposed application and regulations that will be given to potential residents.

St. Clair Township has no zoning that would prevent the transitional home from locating on South Hollywood Boulevard.