Nonprofit wants to create group home
Power of the Purse pursues transitional living home to fill need in Minot
Trending
A local nonprofit group has begun efforts to bring a transitional living facility to Minot to serve people with disabilities or other difficulties.
The Minot Planning Commission on Monday approved a conditional use permit at the request of Power of the Purse, Inc., for a house in southwest Minot, although details about the type of group home remains unfinalized.
Kristen Boen, representing Power of the Purse, said the group home would fill a significant need in the community without having to draw on government funds.
"Power of the Purse is helping to meet this significant need," she said. "The program is to provide a community-based group home setting for residential housing that provides room and board services in a family environment."
The house under consideration sits in a transition zone from commercial to residential. It would have five bedrooms to accommodate up to 16 people and would be staffed with a live-in manager. There would be some assistant managers who also would be involved in the operation.
Residents of the home would pay rent and would be required to work or attend school. A typical stay is nine months, based on similar facilities in Bismarck that are serving as a pattern for the Minot home, Boen said.
Mayor Chuck Barney said a transitional living facility could play an important role in the city's efforts to combat the opioid crisis by providing people in recovery with a place to transition.
"I commend the Power of the Purse for taking the initiative to bring forward on their own volition this opportunity for our community," Barney said. He also commended Power of the Purse for looking to other communities for examples, which is an action the Mayor's Committee on Addiction is also taking.
"We are looking to steal anything we can to address this issue," he said. "We need to be novel. We need to be creative. We need to look at all the options that are available for people to recover from addiction."
There was no neighborhood opposition, although neighbors seek more details.
"The goal here is extremely worthy. I think it's definitely something our community can use," Bonnie Humphrey of Minot said. "I am just concerned about the open-endedness of this."
City council member Josh Wolsky also supported the project but spoke on behalf of neighbors in requesting a neighborhood meeting.
Boen said Power of the Purse needs the conditional use permit in place to begin work with groups that may be interested in placing clients. She said as details become available, the house manager will be reaching out to neighbors to provide information and answer questions.
The planning commission placed conditions on the permit that prohibit sex offenders or people with violent criminal pasts and ban weapons, alcohol and unprescribed or illegal drugs on the premises. Residents must be at least 18 years of age and must be capable of providing their own personal care.
Power of the Purse was incorporated as a nonprofit last December and is associated with the Power of the Purse giving circle that is affiliated with the Minot Area Community Foundation. The giving circle consists of a philanthropy of about 40 women.