Residents living on a block in the Heights section of the city have wondered for weeks about the new residents of a nearby three-family house.
“These people just wandering through my mother’s alleyway, and they look like they are in a daze,” said Robert Larino last week. Larino’s mother lives in a building that shares an alleyway with the house in question. That is, she was living there until she went to North Carolina to stay with relatives.
“My mother is 80 years old and is afraid to come back,” said Larino. “They are just roaming in pajamas like they’re in La-La Land.”
Charlene Aguilar, a stay-at-home mother of four who resides in the house on the other side of the one in question, said that since the new occupants have moved in, she has not allowed her children out of the house.
“I have a 12 year old daughter who liked to hang out in front of the house, but now she refuses because she says they just stare at her,” said Aguilar.
Larino and Aguilar have had some trouble finding out about the people next door.Where did they come from?
Larino recalled that it was about October when he started trying to find out about the new occupants.
“I just kept asking and asking until one of the patients gave me the information that it was a home for those with mental illness,” said Larino.
Larino and a couple of his fellow neighbors said they felt that they should have received advance notice.
Larino finally got some information from a young lady who works at the house, who told him he could call an agency in West Trenton known as SERV Behavioral Health System.
SERV is, according to its Web site, “a private, not-for-profit behavioral healthcare organization serving adults and children working to recover from and cope with a serious mental illness or developmental disability.”
When Larino called SERV, he said, “They wouldn’t give me any answers. [But] just telling the neighbors would help with people’s apprehension when they hear ‘mental illness.’ ”
Last week, Margaret Fala, director of marketing and development for SERV in their West Trenton headquarters, said that she could not confirm or deny that SERV was responsible for placing people with mental illness in the house, citing laws that protect the confidentiality of the occupants.
“The confidentiality issue is the reason why advance notice is not given to those persons who live next to a community residential location for people with mental disorders,” said Fala.
The laws that protect the privacy of persons with mental illness are in the Federal Fair Housing Act. In particular, it prohibits local zoning rules from discriminating against the disabled in housing opportunities. It specifies that it is unlawful to deny a dwelling to any buyer or renter because of a handicap. The state’s Municipal Land Use Law requires all residential districts in the state to allow for new community residences to move in. It also protects community residences that are licensed by the state and prohibits municipal authorities from excluding group homes from their communities.
The home was a private home before it was rented or sold to SERV two months ago. Jersey City tax records say that the current owner of the house is Sherrel Williams, but she is listed as a resident of Montgomery Village, Maryland. Williams was contacted for this article, but did not return calls. Fala did confirm that there are 11 apartments and one group home in Hudson County that SERV either leases or rents, but could not reveal the locations of those residences. There are also group homes in the county run by other agencies.
Fala said that the organization follows regulations set down by the state’s Division of Mental Health. In the case of the house in question, Fala said that it would be part of the SERV apartment program for residents who are one step closer to achieving complete independence.
Also, SERV screens occupants to ensure that they are not a danger to themselves and others, with SERV receiving referrals from local hospitals and non-profit organizations.
“There’s staff available,” Fala said. “They have something to do…work, school, and also a day treatment program for people with serious mental problems to go to from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.”
When asked how long mentally ill persons live in such a house, Fala said that it can be anywhere from eight months to over a year depending on the individual.
Fala also said that concerns about persons with mental illness, while understandable, also speak to misconceptions about individuals with a mental illness.
“There is such a stigma that prevails regarding individuals with mental illness. Most are not criminals, just people working towards getting a normal life,” said Fala.
Fala recently updated the SERV website (www.servbhs.org) with information for residents who are curious about mentally ill persons living in their neighborhood – a result of being contacted by the Jersey City Reporter for this article. The neighbors
But that is small consolation to the neighbors.
Charlene Aguilar said she won’t let her children near the house, nor has she seen any children in the neighborhood playing on the streets since the new residents moved in.
“I don’t know what their past histories are,” she said. “You don’t know if they have criminal pasts.”
Robert Larino is trying to convince his mother to return to her home in time for Christmas.
“She has lived alone in that house since my father passed away a few years ago,” he said. “She watches TV and she sees are stories of mentally ill people who go on killing sprees, the Jeffrey Dahmers of the world. What about her rights to know who is living next to her?” Ricardo Kaulessar can be contacted at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com
Who are the people next door? Heights house becomes shelter for mentally ill, but neighbors aren’t notified
