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Date: 12/23/2015
WEST SPRINGFIELD – After several residents of the Tatham Hill Road neighborhood addressed the Town Council on Dec. 7 regarding the presence of a group home on their street, a community meeting was conducted to vet the issues and concerns with stakeholders.
Residents, Peter Vangsness, vice president of Operations of Guidewire, the nonprofit that runs the home, City Councilors George Condon, George Kelley and Angus Rushlow, and community policing officials attended the Dec. 16 meeting.
The forum allowed Vangsness to explain what his organization does and the services it provides. The house is home to three men with developmental disabilities, and there is a minimum of two staffers present in the home around the clock, though none live in-house, he said.
Though the home can legally have up to five people living together, Vangsness said there were no plans to have additional residents. Plans to convert the garage into a bedroom and handicap accessible bathroom would allow the three current residents to spread more throughout the house, creating more privacy and space, Vangsness said.
Guidewire’s setup allows for people to be “introduced slowly into residential life,” Vangsness said. He encouraged residents to treat them like any other neighbor – whether it is making a noise complaint or saying hello.
Residents raised concerns about the staff, and Kelley said the staff seemed “disconnected.”
Vangsness said the staff is evaluated annually, sometimes more frequently, and have received proper certifications, including first aid, CPR, Crisis Prevention Institute Training (CPI), Medication Administration Program (MAP).
“We are there 24/7. That’s our job. That’s our responsibility,” Vangsness said.
City Council District 4 elect Dan O’Brien said he would like to see a consistent point of contact for any issues neighbors have regarding the home. This way, he said, everyone would be on the same page.
Resident Kathleen Cassidy said she has worked in the healthcare field for years and is sympathetic to Guidewire’s cause but the organization could have made strides create a better relationship as it came into the neighborhood.
“A letter of introduction would have gone a long way,” Cassidy said.
Though the proactive efforts, Cassidy and other neighbors said, would have nipped the problems in the bud, Condon said Vangsness and Guidewire are proving they want to form a good relationship by having these conversations.
“[Vangsness] doesn’t need to be here. He is showing that he wants to be a good neighbor,” Condon said.
A follow up meeting has been set for Jan. 27 at 5:30 p.m. in Town Hall.