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Treatment center for teen users retreats

Neighborhood opposition to the drug treatment facility is so strong that Phoenix House is backing off.

By NANCY JOHNSON
Published November 4, 2005

SEFFNER - Activists might have won their battle to keep a drug treatment center for teens out of their neighborhood.

Phoenix House, which wanted to open a residential substance abuse facility for teens on 15 acres at County Road 570 and Starks Road, has backed away from its plans.

"We don't always walk away when there's community resistance, but the adversity was loud and clear," Phoenix House vice president Finn Kavanagh said. "It's frustrating and unfortunate."

Kavanagh said he talked to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office about locating a substation on the Seffner site to allay residents' safety concerns. But opposition remained strong.

Phoenix House leaders said it's unlikely they'll continue to pursue the site.

Neighbors met with Phoenix House representatives in September and expressed their opposition. They worried that the treatment center would bring more crime to an area already plagued by drug activity.

"It's a needed, worthwhile program, but the location just wasn't right," said Cam Oberting, president of the Taylor Road Civic Association.

"I wish them the best, but I think they realized their program wasn't suitable to be smack in the middle of a residential area," Oberting said.

Phoenix House operates outpatient drug treatment programs for adolescents and their families in the Tampa Bay area.

The organization had planned to open a residential substance abuse facility for teens between ages 14 and 17.

Kavanagh wants to set up a facility where 30 to 50 teens can stay and get treatment for four to six months. Phoenix House operates similar programs nationwide in suburban and rural communities.

Kavanagh said the Seffner site would have been Phoenix House's first residential program in the bay area. He said the waiting list for drug treatment centers is long.

"For a family in crisis, waiting two months just isn't an option," Kavanagh said. "But there were strong perceptions against it, and we respect that. It's their community."

[Last modified November 3, 2005, 08:48:08]