Rehab center fears closure: Our Common Ground may sell residential building if county doesn’t commit funds

While some providers were hoping to receive supervisors’ approval Monday, awarding funds has been postponed until a countywide analysis is conducted, said Steven Kaplan, director of the county’s Behavioral Health and Recovery Services.

It’s a troubling move for Our Common Ground officials as they fear they’ll be forced to close their Redwood City center due to insufficient funding — resulting in 15 percent of the county’s available treatment beds disappearing, Roache said. Losing the site would have broader countywide effects and postponing treatment can be detrimental to those seeking help, Roache said.

“There’s very few things you can name that has so many collateral impacts. A person who’s suffering from substance abuse and is an addict, they’re affecting the health system because they go to the emergency room, if they commit crimes they’re affecting the criminal justice system because they go to jail, some of them are homeless so there’s a broader quality of life issue. All these areas are impacted when treatment is not available for someone who needs it,” Roache said.

While Our Common Ground has sufficient funding through the end of the month, having the supervisors delay a decision could force nearly 30 clients back on the street, Roache said.

For the first time, county staff recommended a more comprehensive countywide analysis of each provider’s financial solvency and properties before the Board of Supervisors makes a final determination of what funding to allot to rehab services, Kaplan said.

“We want to take a look at each property to see what the current situation is related to the financing. For the ones that own [their property,] try to understand what the risks are for the provider to be able to maintain that property. And, whether they have an ongoing structural deficit that puts their operation in jeopardy,” Kaplan said. “We are going to work through this in a way that hopefully helps [providers] out.”

Our Common Ground’s Board of Directors has already loaned the agency nearly $400,000 and while the Woodside Road building is worth millions of dollars, Roache said he’d prefer to provide services to those in need. Without a firm commitment from the county, Our Common Ground will struggle to demonstrate solvency to potential lenders, Roache said.

Typically, the Board of Supervisors allots funding as part of its annual budgetary process, which is slated to be finalized at the end of the month. Kaplan said he wasn’t sure if the study would be done in time for the board to approve funding by the next fiscal year. However, supporting residential rehabilitation services is a priority, Kaplan said.

“Our Common Ground, along with the other providers, are all important parts of our continuum of care. We, and the board, have valued those providers and their services for a long time in our community and we believe we have a strong partnership with them. That’s why the board has directed us to try and solve this problem,” Kaplan said.

Our Common Ground, which also maintains a residential facility in East Palo Alto, is not the only provider currently suffering financial trials and at risk of closing some of its facilities. Project 90 is facing the loss of its longtime intake and residential facility called the O’Toole Center on Ninth Avenue in San Mateo as the property owners are preparing to redevelop the site.

Roache said his organization is one of the county’s only Medi-Cal certified drug rehabilitation sites and is only seeking funding for the costly residential portion of treatment — even with the Affordable Care Act, Medi-Cal will never fund living arrangements for substance abuse treatment clients, Roache said.

With Proposition 47 reducing many felony drug crimes to misdemeanors, Roache said it’s as critical as ever to ensure those who seek assistance have options. With the cost of living in the Bay Area at an all-time high, Roache said losing housing options for those working to get clean could mean losing individuals to addiction.

“When someone is ready, that’s when you want to get them,” Roache said. “Because if you turn them away and say ‘hey, we’ll put you on a waiting list,’ and that motivation slowly dissipates, than you’ve lost them. Unless they’re in custody or another facility while they’re waiting, if they’re on the street, you’ve lost them.”

Visit www.ocgworks.org for more information about Our Common Ground.

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