Southeast / Long Beach : State Drops Plans for Halfway House

State Department of Corrections officials have backed off on a plan to set up a halfway house for recovering drug addicts in Norwalk after the City Council sided with residents in opposing the facility.

Department officials have decided not to purchase and renovate a nursing home at 10915 Firestone Blvd., where they had hoped to house about 40 women who are recovering drug abusers and are either pregnant or have young children.

“Without City Council support, we would not continue to work with the city of Norwalk,” said Sharrell Blakely, head of the department’s women’s and children’s services divisions. She said the department does not want to alienate the community around the eventual facility.

Norwalk City Manager Ernie Garcia told Blakely in a letter that neighbors do not want the facility in their neighborhood. He offered to help state officials find another site within the city. However the department has decided to starting looking elsewhere in the Los Angeles area.