State OK of Home for Developmentally Disabled Under Fire

CAMARILLO —  Residents of a quiet Camarillo cul-de-sac are angry at the state for approving a board-and-care home for elderly, developmentally disabled women on their street, which neighbors fear will lower property values.

Those living along Suner Circle, who have erected signs protesting the proposed four-bed facility, also worry that some of the women could be dangerous patients from soon-to-close Camarillo State Hospital.

But state officials say such fears are baseless. Research has shown that such group living arrangements don’t have any effect on property values, according to the Tri-Counties Regional Center, a placement and referral service for patients who have developmental disabilities, including mental retardation, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and autism.

“These neighbors are trying to block 30 years of state and federal legislation that give civil rights to people with disabilities,” said Bernie Schaeffer, director of training and information for the Carpinteria-based agency. None of the women would be transferred from Camarillo State Hospital, he added.

But such assurances do little to convince the homeowners on Suner Circle, who say neighbor Katherine Palmerton did not disclose who would live at the residential care home that she hopes to open next month.

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Some neighbors have placed signs on their lawns that say “Neighborhood Sell Out,” “Your Gain, Our Loss” and “Play At Your Risk.”

“The signs that are in the neighborhood have implied things about these women that are untrue,” Palmerton said. “These women . . . have done nothing wrong. It will be very painful for them to see this.”

But the other residents worry about what such a facility would do to the quality of the neighborhood.

“It just won’t be the same family street that it has been,” said Palmerton’s next-door neighbor, Heather Jacobsen, a preschool teacher and mother of two.

Jacobsen was set to join a handful of her neighbors Wednesday night at the Camarillo City Council meeting to complain about how such a facility could be established without city approval. The California Health and Safety Code allows care homes to be established without seeking the approval of a city or nearby residents.

“The city goes through all the problems of zoning and then the state says it’s worthless,” said Jacobsen, adding that the residents are not trying to discriminate against anyone, they just do not want a business operating in a residential area.

Camarillo Planning Director Tony Boden said the City Council does not have authority to deny such applications, which must be considered like any other single-family dwelling. However, such facilities must maintain a neighborhood’s residential character, and the city can ensure that a similar facility is not established less than 300 feet away.

“The concern is that it does create an impact to adjoining properties,” Boden said. “I have to agree with the residents’ concerns.”

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Jacobsen said Palmerton originally told neighbors that she would be helping some elderly sick people.

“At that point, I had no concern,” Jacobsen said. “Then we started asking more questions and found out it would be developmentally disabled people.

“If it were a family with a developmentally disabled family member, then it would not be a problem. But there might be a reason why these people’s families don’t have them. They might be too difficult to control--and that’s what scares me.”

But Palmerton said her neighbors knew all along that the facility would house people with developmental disabilities. She plans to operate the facility with her parents, Paulette and Albert Gregory. Her father has 35 years experience in the field, according to Palmerton.

The care home has been designated as a Level II facility, which means that its residents will require supervision and assistance with daily living skills and encouragement to participate in the community in an appropriate manner.

But Jacobsen said Suner Circle residents worry that Palmerton’s clients will be more prone to violence than Level I patients, the developmentally disabled who require the least assistance.

“These women are just looking for a safe place for themselves where they can be accepted and live in a community rather than be segregated away somewhere,” Schaeffer said.

More than 3,000 children and adults with developmental disabilities live in Ventura County, and only a small number reside at Camarillo State Hospital, according to Schaeffer.