GAYLORD -- Otsego County officials will decide whether to spend $14,000 to keep a transition house in Gaylord open until the end of the year, when they hope to take over the program as a daytime work-release center.
Goodwill Industries of Northern Michigan intends to close its Gaylord transition house in December because of state budget cuts to housing and treatment programs. It marks the third such closure for the nonprofit agency, following programs that were ended in Cadillac and Traverse City.
"We're looking to hopefully assume it at the first of the year, making it some kind of work-release center for inmates at the jail," said Otsego Sheriff Jim McBride.
Transition house programs provide social services to recently released inmates, such as job searches, personal budget lessons and drug and alcohol treatment. The Gaylord facility opened in May last year in the county's governmental complex and averages 16 clients, who each stay an average of 45 days in the residential program.
"It's very disappointing we have to make this decision on a program we've had such good success with," said Ruth Blick, Goodwill spokeswoman.
Blick said Goodwill paid $36,000 to keep the program operating in Gaylord from October through Dec. 7, when the money is expected to run out. The $14,000 payment from county coffers will help cover staff and utilities for the last several weeks of the year at the 18-bed facility, said John Burt, county administrator.
"It's really relieving space in the jail, so we want to keep it going," Burt said.
Ken Glasser, chairman of the county board, said commissioners would decide today whether to use the county's contingency fund for the expense. The county also budgeted $70,000 in 2008 to operate the facility as a daytime work release center, he said.
"We'd like to see this work as an alternative for somebody who would lose their job for getting 30 days in jail," Glasser said.
The program initially would not be an overnight operation, officials said.
McBride said clients would report every morning in person and then can either go to their job or join a work crew with other unemployed offenders.
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