Pubdate: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 Source: New Haven Register (CT) Copyright: 1999, New Haven Register Contact: http://www.ctcentral.com/cgi-bin/w3com/start?ctcentral+FrontPage Forum: http://www.ctcentral.com/ Author: Susan A. Zavadsky FIRM PITCHES IN $18,000 TO FIX ADDICT SHELTER NEW HAVEN -- Six months after a shelter for men recovering from drug addiction was severely damaged by a broken water pipe, repairs are unfinished and 26 people are still spending the night at a city homeless shelter. The overnight shelter for clients of the Grant Street Partnership was damaged when a frozen pipe burst in January, forcing dozens of clients to stay at the city homeless shelter on Cedar Street. Operators expected repairs to take about a month. Some parts of the building were fixed, but major damage to the floor -- including a gaping hole -- hasn't been restored because of an insurance dispute. Operations Manager Winston Alleyne said he his hopeful the repairs could be finished in about four weeks because a New Jersey company with a financial interest in the building recently plunked down $18,000 to fix the floor. The money came from Breen Capital Services, which does financial management work for First Union National Bank. First Union owns the part of the building that houses Grant Street's daytime treatment program. The city owns the other half, which houses the overnight shelter. Breen, based in Bordentown, N.J., has an insurance policy that covers the part of the building First Union owns. The insurance company has not yet decided whether to pay for renovations to the other part, and the Grant Street Partnership's insurance company paid for all repairs except the shelter floor. Breen decided to intervene. "As a good faith gesture ... we forwarded the check so they can get back on their feet," said Mark Childs, who handles Breen's real estate properties in Connecticut. "We think that the rehab center itself is a wonderful cause. Waiting for the insurance companies to settle would have been a lengthy process, and it was in the best interest of everyone to get the rehab center back up and running," Childs said. Breen is the same company that drew bitter criticism from taxpayers earlier this year for using questionable tactics to collect delinquent property taxes from city homeowners. Alleyne said Childs "has been very, very supportive. He helped out a lot in terms of getting this whole thing resolved." The trouble at the rehab center started on Jan. 3, when about 30 clients and 12 staff were forced out because of extensive water damage. A pipe had frozen because of extremely cold weather, and when the temperature rose above freezing it thawed and sent backed-up water flooding through the sprinkler system, bursting one of the pipes. The water ruined carpets, collapsed a part of the ceiling, damaged light fixtures and exposed electrical wires. Utilities had to be shut off because of the damage, and part of the shelter floor was so severely damaged it must be replaced. The total cost of fixing the facility will be about $80,000, Alleyne said. He said restoring the shelter is crucial for clients who are vulnerable to relapse if they have to return home at night. Many live in neighborhoods or homes where drug and alcohol abuse is prevalent. "There are some people who are strong enough to come every day and go back home and successfully complete treatment, but those people are in the minority," Alleyne said. Others find it harder to resist temptation. "They leave here and have to walk through the same set of circumstances that landed them here," he said. "While they're here, they're in a more controlled environment. They are among people who all have the same problem and are all seeking recovery." - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D