Lakeside Manor is a 200 bed adult home that houses a number of residents who are clearly mentally…read moreill and/or chemical abusers. The majority of Lakeside residents are mostly unseen. But the "MICA" patients make their presence known. These patients deserve a place to live, but Lakeside management and staff appear to provide minimal supervision irrespective of a given patient's functional level.
The result is that Lakeside patients trespass on private homeowners' property - to engage in acts that are likely not allowed in the facility itself. Many of the trespassing patients are clearly under the influence of alcohol and/or a controlled substance (marijuana which has an identifiable smell). These unregulated patients sit on people's property (steps, retaining walls, etc): eating, drinking beer, smoking, (tobacco and/or marijuana), spitting, and occasionally vomiting. Their food wrappers, cigarette butts, and beer bottles are left behind when they depart. The puddles of body fluids that are occasionally left behind cannot be regarded as anything but a infection control issue.
In recent years some Lakeside patients have taken to aggressively panhandling - in the neighborhood and outside a liquor store located on Forest Avenue. Of late, the liquor store has begun refusing to sell to these individuals as their presence has hurt business. Unfortunately, one of the local delicatessens sells cheap malt liquor to anyone of age. Doubtless the patients would find another vendor if necessary but the proximity of a deli to the adult home clearly serves to exacerbate a problem - even the most intoxicated patient seems to find a way to travel the one block distance when cheap beer awaits. And the patients are devoted to their pursuits.
Intoxicated Lakeside patients appear on the street as early as 7 a.m. when local children are arriving at the intermediate school, located at the end of the block. Some of these patients are unable to make the trip back from the corner deli where there purchase cheap malt liquor (and can be observed drinking several cans in succession), to their facility. When this happens Lakeside staff will often send another patient to help and the pair will stagger down the middle of the street. Some of these patients can be seen repeatedly walking unsteadily down the middle of the road or groping peoples cars (depending on the level of intoxication) as they try to avoid falling in the street - occasionally they do fall, striking peoples cars and putting their own lives at risk.
When local residents complain to the staff at Lakeside about any of a number of issues: littering, trespassing, public drinking/drunkeness, drug use, spitting, public urination, and verbal abuse - they are told to call 911. It would seem that the acting out of the patients is complemented, if not facilitated, by the apparent neglect of the staff.
In fact, neglect would appear to be the core problem - even those patients who do not seem intoxicated routinely walk down the middle of the road talking to themselves - apparently unaware of their surroundings. It is surprising that no fatalities have occurred to date as the street is a busy place, and a bus route.
Another issue is the presence of a convicted level three sex offender at Lakeside. This individual served a prison term for his offenses and is currently not on supervision (parole or probation) - according to the borough's District Attorney. Thus the fact that he resides near an intermediate school - and across the street from a day care facility - is not illegal. Yet, Lakeside was under no obligation to accept a referral for this person - or to agree to place him in their facility. The fact that they did so is telling.
Lakeside's reputation precedes them - and the ongoing troubles have outlasted a number of different supervisors and staff members. This would indicate that the problem is not originating with line staff. It appears to be a top down phenomenon. A poor staffing ratio and lack of proper training (probably low pay as well) would seem to be contributing factors. It is worth noting that the owner has been observing pulling into the lot in a Lamborghini - raising some eyebrows. The lack of professionalism on the part of staff, many of whom take the bus, and the acting out of the patients are problematic in another way: this makes it difficult for reputable social service agencies to place housing facilities in safe neighborhoods. Whenever NIMBY rears its head (the codeword to watch for is "saturation" - saying that a region is "saturated" with housing projects is a polite alternative to "not in my backyard") Lakeside is often cited as evidence of why the project is unwelcome. The neglect found in adult homes like Lakeside hurts all persons with mental illness - those who reside there and those who wait for supported housing opportunities that never come, due to NIMBY.
The author is a mental health care professional with 30 years experience.
