By Glynis Hart
County Commissioner Jeff Barrette made a hurried appearance at Wednesday night’s City Council meeting to say the county withdrew its request to buy the unused JSL building on School Street for transitional housing. It was retained as an item on the agenda so Barrette could explain the project, hopeful that the next time the issue comes up people won’t feel surprised.
He acknowledged that by withdrawing its request the county will miss out on an opportunity for grant funding.
“We listened to neighbors of the project,” said Barrette. “The need [for transitional housing] is great, but I’m confident we will find the necessary funding when the project has the right home.”
Sullivan county officials have been seeking a site for transitional housing for three years. The transitional housing would give offenders leaving jail a place to live that is alcohol and drug free. As described by Superintendent of Corrections David Berry, such housing would be a supervised environment with a nightly curfew, drug testing, and live-in peer counselors.
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