Lawyers meet with Shelter Care Home residents
Advocates pledge support to those moving out
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| COURTESY OF THE MADISON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY A 1912 photograph shows the county Shelter Care Home in Edwardsville, then called the Madison County Poor Farm. |
"It's our goal to make sure the politicians make good on what they said they were going to do," said Jack R. Daugherty, an East Alton personal injury lawyer attorney who met with residents and their family members and guardians jammed into the lunch room of the home.
A three-member county committee was appointed last month to coordinate closing the aged home at 333 S. Main St. after the County Board voted to not move forward on plans to replace the structure, which the state has ruled needs serious repairs. The home cares for about 34 mentally ill, elderly and poor county residents and has been in operation since the 1860s.Residents and their guardians on Thursday crowded around tables and listened to Daugherty and Julie Tracy, an Alton family law attorney, talk about future steps, the first time they've met as a group to discuss planning. Tracy and Daugherty were both recruited by Friends of Sheltered Care Auxiliary, a support group for residents, which will try to raise money to pay for counsel.
"We don't want to this to be a dumping operation," said Linda Evers, the group's president, before the meeting.
County officials have repeatedly said they want to find the best possible care for residents and are willing to search until the right space becomes available. No one is being kicked out, they say.
But Evers said the county and the special committee, which has met once since the April 16 County Board vote, has been vague about what it will provide residents, about two-thirds of whom are mentally ill. The meeting was a chance for them to sound off about concerns and priorities, she said, although no one is exactly sure of how long the process will take.
There is no time frame in place for the closure.
"Nothing's been established," Evers said.
None of the three members of the committee were present at the meeting. County Director of Administration Joe Parente said he was not aware of the meeting and would not comment about it.
Evers on Thursday asked residents to tell Tracy and Daugherty their "wish lists" - the ideal place where they want to live - and most responded with straightforward requests for their new homes: proximity to bus lines; access to stores and parks; side-by-side units with current neighbors, so they can all move as a group.
Some said they worried about moving away from Edwardsville, away from friends and family. Some cried.
Others were worried about furniture, towels and toiletries, the types of items that are provided by the current Shelter Care Home.
"Those things have to be addressed at another time," Evers said.
Daugherty said he'll use the information to develop plans for each resident he'll take to the county. He'll advocate for their requests and hold county officials accountable to their promises, he said.
"Every situation is going to be different from every other situation," he told them. "You're not going to be handled as a group."
Tracy said they're trying to make sure the county works in the residents' best interest.
"You should be heard," she said, "and we'll be that voice."
Shelter Care Administrator Donna Marrone before the meeting said the county is committed to residents and is looking at all housing options. It will take time, she said, but the county wants to make sure it's correct.
"I just want to assure you we want the best," she said. "But it's a slow process."
Later, in her office just off the main entrance to the home, Marrone, who was critical of the County Board after its vote to close the program, said the committee and county officials are trying their hardest to make sure residents find the right new home.
"It's a hard thing," she said. "They're good people and they want the best."
