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Area Board of Zoning Appeals -September 2, 2009 <br />MR. GURROLA: We have the reserves to run the program for the allotted time until the funding comes in <br />from the State. The requirement is four months of reserve funding. Like I said due to the per diem averaging <br />which they've had we able to run the program. So I know it is a hypothetical, but that's a real low <br />hypothetical. It's just not ... <br />MR. FEDEER: Going back to one of the other questions. It's my impression we have other group homes here <br />in St. Joe County and I don't know how they're run whether they're run privately or through CASA or but I'm <br />sure my impression having dealt with the criminal justice system when you do have girls or boys homes for <br />children that need special attention, maybe not operated by your organization but we have two or three over in <br />the downtown area that we've passed on recently, so I mean this is not unique to St. Joseph County this house <br />you're talking about. We have similar facilities is all I'm saying. <br />MR. GURROLA: Yeah we understand that and our feed back actually came from the community that the <br />services are still needed. We understand that you do have group homes and we applaud you for that but the <br />community is underserved. And this wasn't our assessment this was by the executive director for the CASA <br />program in St. Joseph. This assessment came from Linda Graham from the DCS in South Bend, the director <br />of Women's Care Center ... <br />MR. FEDDER: I have no doubt about that sir, I'm just saying that, somebody was asking whether or not if <br />you had any other organizations that were involved, I say we have some in St. Joe County that doesn't involve <br />you people but other people. <br />MR. PHIPPS: Are there other group homes that are specifically for children in the custody of the State? <br />MS. GURROLA: Yes sir. I would like to make a clarification, the way the State licenses if you're operating <br />ten beds or less, they consider that a home. If you're operating ten beds or more it's considered an institution. <br />So it very well maybe sir that some of the locations that the county already has, there are institutions because <br />they have more then ten beds. Those are usually more of a secure lock down facility for behavioral, not a <br />home in a community setting like a family style group home. <br />MR. PHIPPS: Children you would get in your facility would be people that would otherwise if there's a <br />family available be going to foster parents or something like that? <br />MS. GURROLA: Ideally when the decision is being made on the placement of a child, the judge, the social <br />workers, with the guardian do what's best for the child. Some children may not do well in an institution, <br />meaning a large group of kids in one place. So children won't do well in a foster home. They need more <br />structure. This will be a structured program that would allow for therapy's that are needed. Anytime you <br />remove a child from their natural environment you're going have some time of emotional, whether it's <br />depression, whether it's anxiety, their goals slip, there's going to need to be an intervention. Hope House will <br />have treatments plans but individualized so I can't give you a one group plan. It will be individualized. Every <br />kid does not do well in a foster home setting. And again right now there is a need for foster parents in this <br />county. They would like more foster parents. So in the meantime.you have these children that aren't being <br />placed or being misplaced just to put them somewhere and it's already on the States budget or tab if you will <br />because there isn't a home to place them. This county sends girls to facilities out of this county that they send <br />18 <br />