Neighbors worried about plan for at-risk teen homes

For the last few months a standoff has been brewing between First Presbyterian Church’s Eastside Academy and nearby neighbors over a proposal to provide two homes for at-risk teens. The academy has educated high school students considered “at-risk” because of poor family conditions, substance abuse, or criminal history for the last 11 years. Called Re:New Homes for Youth, the new plan would house six boys and six girls in two homes on 100th and 101st Avenue Northeast. The program is expected to begin in February.

By Nat Levy • January 26, 2012 5:03 pm
Eastside Academy executive director Toni Esparza outside the proposed girls home near the school at First Presbyterian Church in Bellevue on January 17.
Eastside Academy executive director Toni Esparza outside the proposed girls home near the school at First Presbyterian Church in Bellevue on January 17.

For the last few months a standoff has been brewing between First Presbyterian Church’s Eastside Academy and nearby neighbors over a proposal to provide two homes for at-risk teens.

The academy has educated high school students considered “at-risk” because of poor family conditions, substance abuse, or criminal history for the last 11 years. Called Re:New Homes for Youth, the new plan would house six boys and six girls in two homes on 100th and 101st Avenue Northeast. The program is expected to begin in February.

A group of neighbors, however, are concerned.

“From our neighborhood perspective, we’re looking at two group homes with only one home separating them,” said Liz Molitor, who lives down the street from the proposed homes.

Molitor said a handful of residents in nearby homes were notified around Thanksgiving that the church was planning these facilities, but homeowners more than a block or two away have not been contacted by the church. Molitor said 47 households are seeking more information, with more expected to become involved.

The church held one meeting with neighbors to try and ease their concerns, said Toni Esparza, executive director of Eastside Academy, with a second meeting scheduled for Feb. 8. It isn’t something they have to do to meet city code, Esparza said, but she wants people to see the homes as a part of the neighborhood, not a nuisance.

“I think an important part of making it a good part of the neighborhood is making sure residents (of the two teen homes) know it’s a requirement to contribute to the neighborhood. They will not be allowed to be a resident if they aren’t contributing.”

This means community service projects and volunteering, as well.

Students for this program are those who face a destructive home environment – either they are homeless, have dangerous parents or a poor support system – that severely hinders their learning. The academy would not be taking custody of the students, as each one will have to get permission from their parents to stay there.

Any sort of violence in the home will not be tolerated, Esparza said. Additionally, those with sexual convictions will not be eligible for the program.

The length of stay at the homes will be decided on a case-by-case basis, Esparza said. Students and families are offered counseling, and the children are sent back home when their situation improves. A student could live in the home all four years at Eastside Academy.

According to city regulations, no permit was required because it fits within Bellevue’s rules for a family unit. City code says that six-non related people may live together in a unit. Because the church is not taking custody of the kids, it does not qualify as a group home, and it is not subject to the level of public involvement stipulated by the state for such dwellings. Parental permission dictates that the total six-person limit – six kids, two adults in these homes – can be exceeded, according to federal regulations.

Part of the neighbors’ frustration comes from history of another home in the area, not owned by the church. A dwelling at 1811 101st Ave. NE, owned by Lily Fu, according to county records, has been a sore spot for residents. The home is rented out by the room, said Bellevue Police spokeswoman Officer Carla Iafrate. Residents and Iafrate said the home has a significant history with police, with most of the calls dealing with noise or harassment issues.

Neighbors are worried that the church will convert three other homes it owns into Re:New homes.

“Right now maybe my street is the most concerned, but once you start having three group homes, and the church has five homes, all the sudden in downtown Bellevue we have an at-risk teen group home row,” Molitor said. “That is a lot for one little neighborhood to bear.”

Esparza has worked in several homes like the ones proposed. She said they can be a point of pride in the community, as a place where young people come to turn their lives around.

“These children came from a background where they haven’t been modeled what a family life is like,” she said. “I think I can say, without fail, it put each and every one of them on a positive trajectory.”