On Thursday night, dozens of people packed a conference room in West St. Paul to voice both support and opposition to the proposed mental health facility.
A 16-bed Crisis Recovery Center provides short-term residential mental health treatment. Dakota County officials proposed building a facility in the parking lot northeast of the Northern Dakota County Service Center.
The center will be operated by Guild, a non-profit mental health service provider in St. Paul. The company currently operates housing complexes in South St. Paul that will be demolished to make way for new facilities.
Guild CEO Julie Bluhm said Minnesota’s mental health service system desperately needs treatment options.
“Our system is so congested right now that it takes a very long time to access all these services,” she said. “My staff say they have turned down about 250 people who are eligible for service, but we can’t afford it.”
Residents will attend a meeting on Thursday, December 1, 2022 to discuss a proposed Dakota County mental health facility to be located in West St. Paul if approved. (KSTP)
However, not everyone is convinced that these beds are in West St. Paul.
Mark Drake, who lives near the proposed site, said many of his neighbors recently learned about the project.
“There was no initial notice that a facility would be built in the government center parking lot,” Drake said.
Drake has expressed concern over the neighborhood’s safety in recent weeks and how that will change when the facility opens.
“This is a 24/7 drop-in facility,” says Drake. “We know there is no security. We know the cameras are never going to be part of it.”
At Thursday’s meeting, residents asked what process county and guild officials use to screen clients, and whether valid warrants and other important criminal background checks are included. I asked about
Bluhm admitted to serving individuals with severe mental health problems from a variety of backgrounds.
“The reality is that people who come to our facility are there because they want to be there,” she said. It’s not stationed there.”
The West St. Paul City Council is expected to vote on the proposal later this month. Final approval is provided by the Dakota County Commission.
