Oct 3, 2014 3 min read

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Human Services Care Center may soon relocate to Henderson Avenue in Canton Township.

Officials from the care center met with Canton Township Board of Supervisors Thursday night during a special meeting to discuss their application to relocate to a vacant building owned by McCarrell and Potts Partnership of Washington at 852 Henderson Ave. The care center is currently at 75 E. Maiden St. in Washington. That care center is one of several that provides Washington and Greene counties with a 24/7 crisis hotline and mental-health services support, which includes a short-term residential housing program and counseling.

Kellie McKevitt, the executive director of SPHS behavioral health services, said patients are referred to the center and prescreened for medical problems before arrival. No security guards are on site, and staff remembers are trained in nonviolent crisis intervention.

“Our goal is to be an asset to the community, to be a good neighbor,” McKevitt said, “not a problem.”

Members of the public also were invited to attend the meeting, and about 10 people were present. The majority were in support of the center relocating to the area. However, several people were worried about the safety of the children and elderly who live nearby. Craig Deemer, who owns the building at 847 Henderson Ave., said while he does not “question the need for the service in the community,” he’s concerned about the children.

“This is not in the best interest of the township,” he said. “The children must be thought of in this situation.”

Deemer said he was concerned about a patients losing control, leaving the facility and wreaking havoc on the community.

“No security is a joke. You are waiting for a powder keg to explode,” he said. “Shame on you if you allow this to happen.”

McKevitt and the other officials present responded to the concerns of the community members and supervisors.

“This facility is for an 18-year-old who is abused by their parents or stepparents, for an older woman who lost her husband and has been depressed and her children don’t want her to stay at home alone,” she said. “This (facility) is not for people with full-blown issues. It’s for them to get back on track and return home.”

Supervisor Sam Bear said he sees “quite a potential for the center to help the community.”

“The potential for help is high here. I understand your concerns, but I think you are mischaracterizing these people,” he said to those opposing the center.

The board will make its decision within the next 30 days and reveal it at a public meeting.