Westminster Rescue Mission seeks new spot for women’s recovery house after neighbors object to Crowl Road property

The Westminster Rescue Mission is looking for a new property for an addiction recovery house for women with children, after neighbors objected to the proposed location at 327 Crowl Road in Westminster.

The rescue mission asked commissioners to accept withdrawal of a grant application it had filed to purchase the Crowl Road property. At their meeting May 18, all but one commissioner voted to accept the withdrawal.

District 5 Commissioner Ed Rothstein was the lone vote against the application withdrawal, saying he supported the location and the rescue mission’s efforts.

“This is not a blight on our community that we have services like this,” he said. “This is, to me, a resource that should be embraced by everybody and say, ‘This is what Carroll County does.’ We recognize a problem and we come up with a solution. It’s unfortunate that sometimes folks don’t like change.”

The Crowl Road home that the rescue mission intended to purchase is on 10 acres and has a listing price of $824,000, according to Zillow, a real estate website. The 2,869-square-foot house has five bedrooms and four bathrooms and was built in 1983.

The rescue mission had applied for a fiscal 2024 Community Development Block Grant to fund the purchase of the property. The home was to be used to house up to four women dealing with addiction to help them reunite with their children.

Commissioners approved the Westminster Rescue Mission’s grant application for the house on April 13.

“In addition to the formal public hearing, the (Westminster Rescue Mission) reached out to neighboring properties offering in person and telephonic meetings to discuss details of the recovery program to be offered on the proposed property,” a county briefing paper states. “A letter was also sent to surrounding neighbors inviting them to contact (the rescue mission) as well as Carroll County Government with questions regarding the proposed program/location.

“In response to that outreach, several neighbors registered their opposition to the proposed recovery housing at 327 Crowl Road,” the paper states.

Celene Steckel, director of the county’s Citizen Services, said several people living in the Westminster neighborhood expressed opposition to the recovery house being located there.

“Due to the constraints of the grant process and timeline, there wasn’t ample time for true development of relationships in the neighborhood to educate and garner understanding and support,” the briefing paper states. “For a recovery program to be successful, community support of the program is essential.”

Stephanie Halley, executive director of the Westminster Rescue Mission, thanked commissioners for supporting the project and location.

“We have determined that the property I shared with you as our future home for women with children, is no longer suitable for those we serve,” Halley said. “As you recall, one of the requirements to secure the grant funding is that the neighbors are not significantly opposed to the project. No one wants to put women and children in harm’s way or in a place in which they feel stigmatized or targeted. …

“Even with 10 acres surrounding the home, the Crowl property no longer seems that it will provide the opportunity for refuge,” she said. “First and foremost, we aim to secure a true home with welcoming neighbors.”