OUR VIEW: We hope the RRCSB can find suitable group home
Published: September 16, 2009
Updated: September 16, 2009
» It’s unfortunate to see such opposition to a proposed residence for the developmentally disabled.
In communities nationwide, people with developmental disabilities live in peace with their neighbors.
Many are contributing members of society who hold down jobs and always wear a smile.
It seems people like that should not only be welcomed but viewed as inspirational. Sadly, the only thing the Rappahannock-Rapidan Community Services Board’s recently proposed group home inspired was heated opposition.
The Village at Griffinsburg Homeowners Association was successful in getting the board to back off its plan to convert a foreclosed house on Conner Drive into a group home to serve adults with developmental disabilities.
Some neighbors said the RRCSB snuck up on them with the plan. Others said nearby traffic, the lack of sidewalks, no lighting and presence of a lake made the neighborhood unsafe for disabled people.
One person even said the Sheriff’s Office ought to plant a car in the neighborhood if the proposal passed, warning she’d be “the neighbor from hell.”
That simply shows the level of misunderstanding about what was proposed. These people are not criminals or druggies. They are developmentally disabled adults who simply need help doing the things most of us take for granted.
The proposal called for six of them to live in the house, which has a large yard and would have been staffed by RRCSB 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Staff members would have accompanied them any time they left the house.
And you can bet RRCSB would have made sure the house complied with every HOA regulation.
Living among the rest of society is key to the well-being of developmentally disabled people, which is why the board considered the house in the first place. It works well at other RRCSB homes in the area, not to mention the hundreds of homes nationwide run by The Arc and other such organizations.
We hope RRCSB can find a suitable house in the area without the NIMBYism. There has to be a place in Culpeper for this service.
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Reader Reactions
Think of me what you will, and think of Griffinsburg and the whole neighborhood as you will, because of your stubbornness.
People in that community have children that are developmentally disabled. Keep coming with your judgments, and i hope one day you are put in a situation where you are judged harshly by someone that does not have all the facts.
Sorry remodel 123, I think your answer is a cop out.
You know full well why the neighborhood didn’t want people with disabilities living near them. They were concerned about the possibility of crime and most people are scared of what they don’t know.
The truth is that before I had a child with special needs I probably was more like you. Now I know better.
Go back and check in that bible of yours. I’m sure you’ll figure out what I’m talking about.
hmshore,
Its not very church like to judge people based on the fact of a few words that were said. You dont know all the facts but are quick to judge and think you know someone. I feel sorry for you, for being so simple minded to think she is discriminating towards the mentally ill.
I bet you did not know that the grant money was coming from a jail…. What would you think if you saw where the grant money was coming from, and could possible be paying more insurance because of somthing the RRCSB was doing and felt that it was being hidden from the community. The community did not know about this until 3 days before closing. Its sad to see people being so quick to judge when they have no information, and are going by what the star exponent is saying. You must believe everything the media puts out huh. You can sit there and judge that person all you want, along with everyone else that is quick to judge. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged” (Matthew 7:1).
It makes me sick especially when i know the person has donated time and money for the people in need. Yet people like you that think they know everything want to judge.
Funny, bet you anything that the self proclaimed neighbor from h..l is also someone who is pro-life and wouldn’t want to abort any babies. See where I’m going with this? You can’t be pro-life and only care about the “perfect” babies being aborted. You need to care about all the babies. And, some of these babies grow up and turn into adults with disabilities. They’re not garbage you can just throw away because they’re not appealing to you. They’re human beings, they having feelings, the understand when you are mocking them and they can feel your hatred.
As the mom of a child with special needs I feel sorry for the neighbor from h..l. She’s a small minded empty shell of a person. Bet Jesus is really disappointed in her also, along with her entire neighborhood.
Well said
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