Wednesday, Feb. 09, 2011

SouthLight eyes expansion

Wake County's largest provider of substance-abuse treatment wants to transform its Garner Road location into a one-stop "recovery campus" that would include living space reserved for mothers in treatment, a daycare and other amenities.

For now, that exists only as words and pictures on paper for the SouthLight agency. But last week, the nonprofit got approval from the Raleigh City Council to move forward with expansion plans for the six-acre campus.

"There's a great unmet need in Wake County for this type of housing in particular, and for the substance-abuse treatment that goes along with that," SouthLight CEO Tad Clodfelter said.

Two newly approved apartment buildings will increase the program's residential capacity by 37 percent, Clodfelter said.

SouthLight served more than 10,500 clients in 2010, continuing a trend of steady increases over the past five years.

The agency has other satellite locations around the region.

The 40-year-old agency plans to build 24 units of transitional housing for income-eligible clients. Sixteen of those will be reserved for mothers and expectant mothers recovering from substance abuse.

SouthLight also is renovating its main building, an old grocery store built in the 1960s, to open up currently unusable space. That work is expected to coincide with the new apartments' construction.

Clodfelter estimates the expansion and renovation projects will create about 35 new jobs when complete.

It's all part of SouthLight's long-term plan to provide all necessary services within walking distance at one location.

The first step is on-location housing. Building plans are in for the new apartments, but a groundbreaking has not been set because SouthLight is applying to the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, Wake County and the City of Raleigh for money to help cover the $4 million construction. SouthLight also plans to launch a fundraising and awareness campaign.

The agency currently leases apartments about 20 minutes from the Garner Road location and pays about $200,000 in rent each year, plus the cost of getting clients to treatment facilities.

Having on-site housing will mean quicker access to care, as well as savings on rent and transportation.

Without the restrictions placed on housing by outside landlords, staff also will be able to serve a wider range of clients, said Kim Spencer, residential services program supervisor. For example, some property owners were leery of having convicted felons live in their rental facilities.

Having their own buildings also will enable staff to set up a more therapeutic environment for clients, with amenities like meditation gardens and on-site daycare. Clodfelter hopes to attract services such as a primary-care agency to the revamped campus.

"This is an opportunity to expand who we serve so we can really open it up and start addressing a larger community," Spencer said. "We won't be limited by someone else's regulations."