Countywide : County to Study Building Purchase

The Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to spend $40,000 to study the possible purchase of a building in Ventura for conversion into a facility for women with drug and alcohol problems.

The building includes a restaurant, housing and office space. The plan calls for women in the county’s Moms and Kids program to operate the restaurant to gain job experience and bring in revenue for the program.

County officials would not disclose the location of the building. Stephen Kaplan, the county’s director of alcohol and drug programs, said the site would not be revealed until further progress is made in talks with the owner.

The $40,000 would be used for a property appraisal, renovation estimates and the hiring of a consultant who specializes in dealing with owners who wish to donate their property for tax purposes. Kaplan said the owner may make such a donation.

The Moms and Kids program, which opened two years ago, treats women with addiction problems, provides outreach services and counseling, and operates day-care centers for their children.

The program has a residential facility for women and their children in Ventura that accommodates six women and 12 children for up to six months. Kaplan said the residential program and other program services could move into the restaurant building if it is purchased.

He said a similar restaurant operated by a drug-rehabilitation program in San Francisco is doing well.

“It is planned that the restaurant will provide food services to other social service groups working with the homeless and others in need of food,” Kaplan said in a report to the supervisors.