Evansville City Council denies rezoning sober living homes

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT) – In a 7-1 vote, Now Counseling’s request to rezone two of it’s houses comes to a screeching halt.

Shona Jarboe and Angie Bullock live near the sober living homes, one is on Powell and the other is on Blackford facing Kentucky Avenue and they say they are pleased with the decision.

They say their main concern are surveillance of those living in the homes, and how many people reside there.

Bullock says “For one thing they own autos so you have a flooding of the street and there is no parking, and other situations like that.”

A sober living home is a rehab house to help people recover from substance abuse and get back on their feet, which both Jarboe and Bullock say is a good thing if done right.

The only council member who voted yes was Zach Heronemus, who is also the Executive Director of Aurora Evansville. While working with the homeless and those struggling with addiction, he says he sees the need for sobriety living homes.

Heronemus says, “Everybody needs a second chance and I mean that in my core, and I think that when we wrap our arms around people, no matter what their backgrounds are, that is when we can see the best of our community and the best impact on people’s lives.”

Jordan Milby, who owns Now Counseling, says they will continue to help people without the vote. He believes being denied to rezone the properties may be a good thing. Milby says, “I think it is really great because they have identified a void in their policy, so they are going to work on filling that void and helping people do things the right way which I fully support.”

The council hope to discuss the need for sober living homes further with other city officials.

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