Rehab facility proposal for south Wichita leaves neighbors with questions
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – A church in south Wichita could get repurposed to help people in need, but not everyone is on board.
“Because I have kids that live here, and I really don’t want them that close to my house,” said Brandi Hernandez, who lives about a block from the proposed site.
The site is just off 31st Street and Seneca and would go into the Evidence Church building. It’s planned to be a live-in drug and rehab facility.
Metro planning will consider a zone change that could allow it to open. Metro planning is scheduled to possibly vote on rezoning the area on Thursday of this week. It would still need city council approval in a vote.
“I would like the planning committee to postpone it and let the neighbors have more time to get their organizational thoughts together,” said south Wichita resident Sheryl Batt. “Well, it’s awful close to South High. It’s awful close to the elementary school.”
Batt said she is certainly not against the idea of rehab. Others agree but also say they want to know more about what it would be like in their neighborhood.
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“I want to hear more about it. But I do feel like we need more to help, like, residents,” said Alicia Allee, who also lives across the street from the site of the Evidence church building.
“We need to be aware that people just need help, so I’m not against it,” said Allee. “But, yes, we need to know more.”
The man behind the plan says they will take security for the neighborhood into consideration.
“Security is a concern, and we understand that,” said Deron Gillespie with Adult and Teen Challenge of Kansas.
Gillespie says it would be a live-in facility and offer work programs to help people move forward with their lives after struggling with addictions. Gillespie says he was a graduate of the program himself some 23 years ago.
“We have a rigorous interview process for teen challenge, so we don’t take registered sex offenders,” said Gillespie. “We don’t take violent criminals of any kind.”
The area is in City Council Member Mike Hoheisel’s district.
“There’s going to be opportunities for the public to get to know the project. The full scope of the project. For us to hear their concerns,” said Hoheisel.
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Hoheisel also says the name on the application may have caused some concern for residents in the area.
“That’s a product of how things are named in our application process,” said Hoheisel. “This is one of the unfortunate side effects with how we label some of our zoning changes. This is coming off as a correctional facility. What it is more of a voluntary slash first-offender drug rehab facility? There’s a number of things they will do to address some of the safety concerns. So this is just one of the steps in the process.”
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