A clinic to counsel and medicate people with substance abuse issues will not be opening on Ansonia’s Main Street, the Valley Independent Sentinel has learned.
“It’s a shame, because it’s really their kids they are turning away,” said John Hamilton, the chief executive officer of Regional Network of Programs, Inc. in Shelton.
Hamilton’s company wanted to open the “Center for Human Services” on the first floor of 158 Main St.
The program would have provided counseling and medication for people addicted to heroin and prescription pills such as Oxycontin. Hamilton said drug abuse — specifically pills — is rampant among young people in the lower Valley.
The medication dispensed would include methadone and Suboxone, according to the application. Both medications are used to treat people addicted to heroin. Additional medication would be used to help people addicted to prescription pills.
The Valley Indy first reported plans for the clinic in November.
The clinic was opposed by City Hall and downtown merchants.
Hamilton said his agency’s mission is to help people. Going somewhere they are not wanted does not help clients, Hamilton said. They will look elsewhere in the Valley, he said.
“The need is still there. Sadly, the stigma is still there as well,” Hamilton said.
Ansonia zoning contains language that forbids the use of office space on Main Street for “clinics for the insane, alcoholics and drug addicts.”
Hamilton said the zoning was written prior to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and is clearly in violation of that law. A letter from a lawyer familiar with ADA has been sent to Ansonia City Hall, Hamilton said. A copy of that letter is posted below.
“We would easily win this from a legal perspective, but we want to protect our clients,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton said there is still a chance Ansonia could face a class-action lawsuit based on the wording of its zoning law.
Hamilton said 900 Ansonia residents use services offered for mental health issues and substance abuse.
The clinic would have served about 240 people from Ansonia alone, Hamilton said.
Mayor James Della Volpe said Ansonia already has its fair share of mental health programs. The city is trying to attract new businesses downtown, the mayor said. “We don’t want downtown to be all social services,” he said.
“Obviously, I’m very happy that they are not going to open in Ansonia,” Della Volpe said.
Della Volpe said the language in the city’s zoning code is out of date. Officials plan to go over the issue with the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission.
