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Blood, Shannon seek state action on group home

Bellevue Leader - 2/19/2018

A group home for the developmentally disabled near the intersection of 25th Street and Mose Avenue directly north of Chandler View Elementary School has been referred to the state for possible investigation.

Lauren Kintner, general counsel to Gov. Pete Ricketts, told Bellevue City Councilman Pat Shannon she referred his complaint about the home to Courtney Phillips, chief executive officer of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

"I will advise you when I receive further action and response from the agency," Kintner told Shannon.

The group home, which occupies two duplexes at 7702-7704 S. 25th St., and 7706-7708 S. 25th St., is operated by Community Supports, Inc., a private agency based in Omaha and Lincoln that provides residential services to the disabled under contract with the State of Nebraska.

Shannon filed his complaint in light of recent news reports that two alleged rapes occurred at the complex in the past 10 months.

The latest of the two alleged incidents came to light Jan. 19 when Brian Park, a 44-year-old resident of the complex, was booked into the Sarpy County Jail on suspicion of raping a roommate.

That incident also caught the attention of Bellevue State Sen. Carol Blood, who said she received a series of complaints about the group home and its residents during her eight years as a member of the Bellevue City Council.

She told the Bellevue Leader that problems with the group home complex came to her attention three or four years ago when a group home resident wandered the neighborhood and allegedly vandalized cars with a baseball bat. Since then, Blood said, she spoke with neighbors who told of fights in the street, an assault on an area resident who was riding a lawn mower and a long list of nuisance calls to the Bellevue Police Department.

Kierstin Reed, area director for Community Supports, Inc., said her agency has many safety precautions in place for its clients, its staff and for the community as whole.

"It is devastating to us when a community member that we support violates the law in this or any other circumstances," she said in an email to the Bellevue Leader.

"In the past year, we have taken additional precautions to protect our staff and assist them in making contact with the local police department when necessary. Safety is our number one priority when providing services."

Blood said the problem with the group home is an aberration in Bellevue, where such facilities tend to be well managed.

"Bellevue is fortunate in that the vast majority of residential homes that lift up people with disabilities are run well, protecting the residents, staff and community," she said. "Residential homes are an important tool to help integrate those with disabilities into our communities."

Given the positive role Blood said group homes play, she said she's looking for a solution.

"I am working with the disability community and DHHS, as well as other involved parties trying to expedite a solution to create a safer environment for all involved," she said.

Shannon said he asked the Bellevue Police Department for a list of calls officers have made to the four-unit complex during the past 10 years. The result was a nine-page list of 396 incident responses ranging from runaways, thefts, injuries and many unspecified "disturbances."

Blood said she believes the solution will be found in better trained and more numerous staff assigned to the group home.

"The owners should not be allowed to have a license in Nebraska if they can't provide the very basic needs of providing a safe environment for staff, residents and the community," Blood said. "They need to be held accountable. I don't want anyone put out on the streets - the staff wants to do well and we certainly need these types of facilities, but it is clear that the owners do not understand the magnitude of the most recent events, nor the history of this home."

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