Melissa’s House, an nonprofit organization that creates care facilities for adults with mental illness, plans to establish a group home in the University District at 44 E. Duncan St. in Columbus, Ohio. Photo credit: Emma Bush | Lantern Reporter
Melissa’s House, founded by Elaine and Nate Goldberg, has a mission to establish warm, family-like care facilities for adults living with mental illness in honor of their daughter, Melissa, who suffered from schizoaffective disorder and passed away in 2006.
Now, they’re looking to bring this mission to the University District through a partnership with Ohio’s National Alliance on Mental Illness and New Housing Ohio, Inc., to create a group home at 44 E. Duncan St. They plan to refurbish the property into a group home that can hold up to 16 people and is community-oriented, Scott Boone, president and CEO of New Housing Ohio, Inc., said.
“We’re big on the idea that everyone eats together. Everyone prepares meals together and this particular house just happens to have a perfect setup for that,” Boone said. “This particular house with the open kitchen, the beautiful dining area and every addition that was put on to the home is just perfectly suited for a group home and we like the fact that it has access to local services through provider agencies as well as local resources.”
Each resident will have their own room, a shared kitchen and dining room to maintain the family-centric principles of Melissa’s House.
The project was discussed at a University Area Commission meeting Jan. 17, where it received unanimous approval. Even so, initial concerns about the project being placed in a residential neighborhood had to be addressed, Seth Golding, zoning chair for UAC and neighbor to the project, said.
“I have a little concern about the safety of their clientele because there are unfortunately panhandlers and some drug dealing and things like that around this block,” Golding said. “We’re a little concerned about if their clientele could be preyed upon in a way.”
New Housing, Inc., had an open house for the neighbors to address any questions or concerns they may have had, sending out invitations to the surrounding community.
“We were really humbled to see such a positive reaction to that and really got a lot of great feedback from the residents,” Boone said. “The other thing we’re doing is, we’re forming a neighborhood group that we are going to meet with on a regular basis to address any concerns that anyone has moving forward.”
Golding, one of multiple commissioners who initially had concerns, voted yes due to New Housing, Inc.’s “stellar” track record with its other properties, according to Golding. Golding said the Community Council of Direct Neighbors — a group of neighbors in proximity to the property — will also have full access to the owner and operator of Melissa’s House to continue an open line of communication.
The project will be state-regulated. The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services licenses these homes and conducts on-site inspections to ensure compliance with state rules according to the Ohio Long-Term Care Consumer Guide.
Now that UAC approved the initiative, the project can move forward. Boone said he is hopeful they will receive city council approval for zoning changes regarding the project and start renovating in March.
