FISH eyes housing for mentally ill

Transitional housing for the mentally ill and offices for service providers are planned for part of the building in North Carson City donated recently to FISH.

Closing is set for this week on the transfer from the Garth Richards family to FISH, also known as Friends In Service Helping, a social services agency with a presence in Carson City, Gardnerville and Mound House. Jim Peckham, FISH executive director, said Tuesday that closing was imminent and disclosed the plan for partial use of the structure.

“We’re looking at using it for transitional housing for the mentally ill,” Peckham said. “We’re going to step up and work with the city, the state and some private providers.”

The building at 430 Jeanell Drive, about a block north of Winnie Lane and a couple of blocks west of Carson Street, has square footage of more than 29,000 and a garage adding an additional 1,750 square feet. Assessor records put the value at $907,580, but Peckham said an appraisal pegged it at $1.1 million. FISH assumed a $200,000 note in taking it over.

Peckham said the plan is to begin with perhaps 5,000 square feet put aside for the transitional housing aspect and a like amount for counselors or others to serve those in need of such transitional housing. If things go according to plan, perhaps such service personnel could be on hand in three to six months.

That ambitious timetable would require others in the community’s social services network to be involved and donors to step up, as alterations to the structure would be necessary, Peckham said. He said one example is the need for money to provide a sprinkler system; another would be to cover dining and laundry facilities.

“Probably hundreds of thousands of dollars will be needed,” Peckham said.

He mentioned working toward implementing the project in cooperation with officials at such places as Carson Tahoe Health, the Sheriff’s Office and the jail, Alternative Sentencing, city Health and Human Services, and “anybody that’s got (such) people needing transitional housing” who require medications and help dealing with society.

He said closing on the building had been expected to happen Monday, but likely would come sometime during the week.

He again thanked Richards, local developer and businessman, and the Richards family for the donation to FISH.