Cactus Village Community

HALF-WAY HOUSES?

Jul 18, 2003

Boy, there?’s a phrase that gets your innards turning. The hairs on the back of your neck begin to rise, your imagination kicks into gear and you think of all the drug addicts and sex offenders that might be living there. The fear jumps right up there to the bottom of your throat. AND, then I tell you that we have several of ?‘these?’ homes, right in the middle of our neighborhood. What in the world are we going to do?

To protect ourselves and our families from this threat to our safety and well-being, we must do something, BUT WHAT? There?’s the rub. A case can be made for both sides, and the legislature (thus far) has been unwilling to effectively address the issue. Don?’t blame the Police, or Neighborhood Services. Their hands are tied by the law. The ?‘rights?’ issue is a very difficult one to resolve. It will take time, patience, understanding and certainly perseverance of all our parts.

For those of you that live near one of these ?‘homes?’, keep vigilance. Record every time the Police are called to or near their address. Record their comings and goings, including a description of the individual. Take the time to call Crime Stop at 602-262-6151 every time you see a suspicious person or vehicle in your neighborhood. This is a Pro-active response.

Above all, do not confront these individuals. It could be dangerous to do so or possibly this is one of the good guys who is doing his/her best to keep clean and straight. We are Not in a position to be making judgments of another.

It is the ?‘management?’ of the home that should be our target. They are the ones responsible to lead and control the situation. If it is a well run home, we have little to fear. ifit is a poorly run home we have a chance to have it cleaned up or removed, by gathering the facts and reporting same to our Police and/or Neighborhood Services. . . ☻