City issues stop order against alleged group home
By Jeff Gallatin
North Olmsted
Published Oct. 17, 2007

City officials have issued a cease and desist order to a Gareau Drive woman alleging she is illegally operating a boarding house for women recently released from prison in a residential neighborhood. However, the woman insists she is not doing anything wrong.

A certified letter with the cease and desist order was sent to Alifa Arnold Friday. The letter came after a group of about 20 residents of the neighborhood approached city council’s Building, Zoning and Development Committee with concerns about the home at the Oct. 16 Building, Zoning and Development Committee of city council. The residents said they were not sure what activities were going on in the home noting they had seen RTA buses dropping off women by the home and also had concerns about criminals possibly staying at the home. City officials noted that the building department had talked to the woman (Arnold) allegedly running the home about the situation, with building department workers having gone through the property. Mayor Thomas O’Grady said later in the week he had paid a visit to the home after hearing the residents concerns.

“It’s a situation where you have a person apparently trying to do something good for others but which is in violation of our city codes by having a business in a single family residential area,” O’Grady said. “It’s a situation we can’t allow to continue so we will shut it down if necessary.”

Arnold said people are overreacting.

“They’re telling me I’m running a group home or a boarding house for rehabilitating criminals here and and I’m not,” Arnold said. “I know the difference and I’m not. I’m running a sober house here. I don’t do my business here, I do it at other locations in the city of Cleveland.”

Arnold said race may well be playing a role in the problems.

“One of the women who stayed here awhile was a white woman and she was out cutting the yard and doing some other work for me, and some people may not have liked her doing that for a black woman,” Arnold said.

She said one of the women who stayed at the home did have a criminal record but is gone now. She also disputed rumors she heard of sex offenders staying at the home.

“I certainly wouldn’t have anybody like that in here,” she said. “I’ve got 16 grandchildren and I wouldn’t want them near anything like that.”

In the letter, building department officials said the property at 6044 Gareau Drive is in an area zoned for a single family residence and that she has not backed up claims that she is licensed to operate a group home or business for the women.

“You previously informed the building department that you were licensed by the state to operate a group home and/or business for the rehabilitation of women recently released from prison. However, the documentation you sent to the building department does not support your contention that you are licensed and an independent check of the records of the Ohio Department of Health reveals that you do not have a license to operate such a home or business at this address,” the letter says.

“Based upon this department’s inspection and information received, it is our determination that you are using this property to operate a boarding (or rooming) house and/or business to rehabilitate women recently released from prison. Neither of these uses is permitted in the city’s single family residence B district.”

City building officials ordered Arnold to “terminate this unlawful occupancy forthwith,” saying they would re-inspect the home this Friday to ensure compliance.

Arnold said she has applied to the state and is staying within permitted rules.

“We’re doing what we’re allowed to do,” she said. “We’ve only got two women here right now.”

She said she might be looking around for other properties as well.

North Olmsted Law Director Jim Dubelko said the city was unable to find anything to document Arnold’s telling them she is licensed for the home.

“We found there had been an application but it either was withdrawn or taken back,” he said. “This is a situation where the home does not conform to city codes for that neighborhood. Understandably residents of the area are upset.”

Arnold said paperwork from the state can take months to get done and be formally entered into the record.

O’Grady said a group home or halfway house for rehabilitating criminals can’t stay in a residential area and also noted the council committee session had been called to consider legislation regulating where halfway houses for criminals can be located. The proposal, sponsored by council members Paul Barker, Michael Gareau Jr. and Nicole Dailey Jones, already prohibited them in residential areas and was further amended to keep it out of the general business district areas and instead place them in industrial type areas. Jim Burns from the North Olmsted Chamber of Commerce said it would not be a good idea

“This is a case where you have to find a proper place for such a business,” O’Grady said.

Gareau, the BZD committee chairman, said the legislation is designed to protect residential areas and neighborhoods.

“You don’t want those type of people or businesses right smack in the middle of a neighborhood,” Gareau said. “If I had my druthers we wouldn’t have them at all in the city but we can’t do exactly that, so we have to find the best way possible of dealing with this.”

Gareau said the residents of the area have every right to be concerned.

“They want appropriate measures taken to protect their home and we will work to make sure that’s taken care of,” he said.

Jones, whose Ward 3 includes the area and who is also chairwoman of the city’s Fair Housing Board, said the residents did the right thing.

“We’re glad they brought their concerns to the council and city officials,” she said. “Since we’ve investigated and found that there are violations of the city zoning code going on, we will take the appropriate action as a city and deal with the situation.”

Both city officials and Arnold say they want the situation resolved.

“I don’t believe the people involved are trying to do anything bad, but we need to protect our neighborhoods,” O’Grady said.

“I don’t want to put people out on the street,” Arnold said. “We have a sober and good house here.”