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Residential group home proposed in Colton

San Bernardino County Sun (CA) - 1/26/2015

Jan. 26--A public hearing is scheduled for next week as Colton considers approving a residential group home for people with psychiatric conditions.

The hearing before the Colton Planning Commission is planned for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Colton City Hall council chambers, 650 N. La Cadena Drive. The commission is expected to vote on issuing a permit for the group home that includes some restrictions.

A city report describes the proposed 10-bed facility as opening in a five-bedroom single-family home at 1288 Visconti Drive in a residential neighborhood.

Group care homes provide supervised living for people suffering from mental or physical impairments and those recovering from drug or alcohol addictions. They are less restrictive than institutions and help people transition into society and ultimately from a group setting into a permanent home.

The facility in Colton would house up to 10 men and women long term with behavioral disorders such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression and cognitive impairment, but would often house less than 10 people, a city report said. The group home is required to be licensed by the state Community Care Division as a social rehabilitation facility, a city report said.

It would provide 24-hour behavioral health treatment, counseling and monitoring health and diet, the report said. Employees can assist clients with administering medications but they cannot provide medical care or nursing services.

The maximum stay for a client at the facility is 18 months, by state regulation, with an employee-to-patient ratio of 2.8 to 1 from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., averaging three staff members during the day and one at night.

Helping Hearts of California, Inc. in Ontario would operate the facility named Helping Hearts Visconti House.

If the permit is approved, Colton police would be required to evaluate calls for service every six months to a year. If the facility generates more than three verified complaints in a month for disturbances or criminal activity, or six or more in three months or more than 12 in a year, the permit can be revoked, according to the report.

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(c)2015 the San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, Calif.)

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