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TriBeCa Residents Welcome New Sober House for College Students

By Julie Shapiro | February 10, 2011 2:50pm
Hazelden recently bought the six-story building at 283 W. Broadway, center, to convert it into a sober house for college students.
Hazelden recently bought the six-story building at 283 W. Broadway, center, to convert it into a sober house for college students.
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DNAinfo/Julie Shapiro

By Julie Shapiro

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

TRIBECA — A sober house for college students struggling with addiction is just what TriBeCa needs, residents said this week.

The 30-bed facility on W. Broadway, opening this summer, will be a welcome resource for the thousands of students who go to school downtown, local residents said at a Community Board 1 meeting Wednesday night.

"I’m happy and proud to see them in our neighborhood," said Bruce Ehrmann, a longtime TriBeCa resident and CB1 member. "This has long been in demand downtown."

The facility will be run by Hazelden, an organization that started in Minnesota 62 years ago and has since expanded into a national network of treatment centers that use a 12-step, abstinence-based program.

Mark Mishek, president and CEO of Hazelden, at Wednesday night's Community Board 1 meeting.
Mark Mishek, president and CEO of Hazelden, at Wednesday night's Community Board 1 meeting.
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DNAinfo/Julie Shapiro

Mark Mishek, president and CEO of Hazelden, told CB1 that even though the city has more than 500,000 college students, there is no facility to support those who are recovering from addiction.

"There’s a real need for it," Mishek said.

Hazelden is converting a six-story condo building at 283 W. Broadway, just south of Canal Street, into dorm-like living spaces for the 30 future residents, who will be both male and female, ages 18 to 29. The residents, who will stay for six to 12 months, all have to be sober — they will likely have just completed a more restrictive detox program — and they have to either be in school or be preparing to return.

The recovering addicts will also have to be ready to contend with all of TriBeCa’s temptations. On one side of the facility is the Canal Room club, and on the other side are the Pepolino, a restaurant that serves alcohol, and the Nancy Whisky Pub. Across the street, neon signs outside a deli advertise Coors Light.

"Part of our assessment of whether someone is ready [for the sober house] is whether they can be out in the real world with the temptations," Mishek said. "If someone is going to drink at this phase, they’re going to drink regardless of where they are."

On the first floor of the building, Hazelden will run a small outpatient clinic, which will also host AA meetings and community gatherings.

Several TriBeCa residents expressed mild concerns about the safety of the facility at Wednesday night’s meeting, but they seemed satisfied when Mishek explained that staff will be available round-the-clock to monitor the clients, who will have a curfew and be subject to unannounced searches. No one with a violent or criminal history will be accepted, Mishek said.

Hazelden’s only other New York City outpost, an outpatient clinic in Chelsea, has not attracted any complaints, Mishek said.

Just in case issues arise, Mishek agreed to send a representative to meet with downtown residents quarterly.

"The benefits of this project far outweigh the negative things," said Andy Neale, a TriBeCa resident and public member of CB1. "Please open more of them."