HESPERIA — A group of residents said they are concerned for their safety after parolees moved into a transitional home in the middle of their quiet neighborhood.
Several neighbors on the 7800 block of Chase Avenue shared their concern to the Hesperia City Council, complaining that nearly a dozen parolees are living in the home.
“Some of these guys walk to the nearby Circle K, buy beer and drink it on the way back,” said Max Ramirez, who lives near the home. “You should have seen all the beer cans we have collected in the neighborhood. That never happened until these guys moved in last month.”
Other neighbors have complained of parolees looking over their neighbor’s fences and roaming the streets after dark.
But the operator of the home, Sharon Green with the Victor Valley Family Resource Center, said the “fear goes both ways,” as one of her employed “clients” fears that harassing neighbors may jeopardize his job and recovery.
“One of our clients is working very hard to get his life back on track,” Green said. “Now, we have neighbors following and harassing him.”
Green said there are only eight non-violent, non- sexual offenders living in the home with around the clock supervision and a 9 p.m curfew.
“We have a contract with county probation and there are case management professionals involved,” Green said. “Our clients attend regular meetings and are drug and alcohol tested on a regular basis.”
Green said a key-less security system allows probation officers access at anytime, which often includes a “drug sniffing” canine. On Jan. 15, three people were removed from the home for various violations.
In response to several residents who allege that the parolees may have a violent pass, Green said the state has not informed her or her group of any past offenses by any parolee.
Stony Lee Wright, who has lived in the neighborhood for 32 years, said he’s all for the transitional home, but not in his neighborhood that is comprised of seniors and many families with children. Wright feels the home should be moved to a commercial or industrial area of the city.
“There are multiple issues going on at that house,” Wright said. “They have no permits, and can eight people really live in a home with one septic tank?”
According to Rachel Molina, spokeswoman for the City of Hesperia, the owners of the property and Green, have been served with a Notice of Violation as of Tuesday.
Molina said the city’s code requires that group homes not licensed by the state obtain a conditional use permit from the city. The code also prohibits group homes that house two or more parolees or probationers.
“I understand that people need to put their lives back together and I support that, but how they’re acting is not helping the problem,” Ramirez said. “Many of us feel like prisoners in our own homes.”