The church building at 522 Grier St., Williamsport. KAREN VIBERT-KENNEDy/Sun-Gazette

There will be a halfway house for reentrants, those who served their time in prison, to be relocated into a current church building on Grier Street in Williamsport.

In about 14 months, the Transition Living Centers three facilities in town will relocate to Well Church, 522 Grier St.

That will happen after the city Zoning Hearing Board held a public hearing and voted 2-1 this week to grant the facility that, for example, helps to reduce recidivism rates by housing inmates who have served time and are on parole and are overseen by caseworkers and staff, with two variances it requested in a hearing, said Zachary DuGan, attorney for the facility with Perciballi & Williams.

One variance is for change in use (from church to criminal housing facility), and another is regarding parking, he said. There are conditions, he noted. “They must not exceed 58 reentrants at a maximum and have only five vehicles,” he said. The facility leadership had asked for a maximum of 75 reentrants, but agreed to 58.

“I am okay with that,” Nicole Hayes, TLC executive director, said during the hearing on the request of the board to reduce reentrants housed at the future group home.

The now-vacant church interior will get some improvement, as will the exterior. It will not look any different than it does. There may be security cameras. The operation is anticipated to be there by fall 2027, Hayes said. The church building consists of 31,430 square feet, or 22,628 feet above a basement of 8,502 square feet, according to the hearing record.

Voting in favor of granting the two variances were William Miele and Michele Frey and against, Richard Carlson.

Hayes, and Molly Klinger, TLC program director, were there to describe the process and answer any concerns.

They noted how the nonprofit organization has been successful in helping 2,400 inmates over the past 40 years reintegrate into society, with many of them becoming law-abiding and productive citizens.

“We have people being incarcerated, but we don’t recognize people are coming back,” Miele, who served for many years as Lycoming County chief public defender, said. He added how this program has had 40 years here, and it’s been relatively successful. “We wish we could limit the type of inmates that come in,” he said to a concern about what types of crimes these reentrants have committed.

Carlson expressed his concern about there being a potential changing of the culture of the neighborhood with the facility.

The neighborhood consists of houses and apartments with families with children, a bus stop for school children to be picked up, and the nearby Lose Park, with its playground for the children in the community.

Several residents expressed their concerns, both in verbal and written form, about fears living near ex-inmates, some of whom may be sexual offenders, or have other felonies on their record.

Frey asked how security is handled at the group home. She was informed these parolees and those who have served prison time have case managers. Their comings and goings are strictly enforced, and if there are any violations of law, they are dealt with properly with strictly enforced procedures in place, the group home leaders said. Typically, the reentrants stay there under supervision from four to six months and they must register where they are going, the board was told.

The facility received plugs from those living near the existing TLC operations in town. Members of the board and TLC listened to it all, taking all of it into account for the record.

Gary Runtas, a pastor whose church, The Gap Fellowship, is across the street from an existing TLC operation, said TLC has been a “good neighbor” since 2011.

According to statistics, these facilities play a crucial role in reentry success by providing stable housing and wrap-around support.

Local organizations, like the one in Williamsport, operate community corrections centers that provide structured home plans to help formerly incarcerated individuals avoid the cycle of re-offending.

Studies have shown that providing stable housing coupled with coordinated community support, education, and employment substantially cuts recidivism – in some cases by up to 87% depending on the exact demographics and targeted intervention. The local TLCs provide a vital safety net for reentrants who lack healthy housing alternatives, thereby reducing local return-to-prison rates.

“I appreciate what you do,” said Daniele Giovanna, a public defender, who said lived near their facility and was encouraged by TLC’s rate at reducing repeat offenders or reduction in recidivism.

Miele encouraged the TLC leadership to not only consider this a “win” and that be the end of it but to be sure to talk to the neighbors, invite them to tour facilities and ensure they feel more at ease about the facility becoming a good neighbor.

“When we were choosing something for the community we were so excited when we learned that TLC wanted to get the building,” said Stacey Noltee, one half of the husband and wife team, with husband Shawn, serving as pastors at the church.

Noltee said out of high school and before pastoring she worked for a non-profit in Williamsport. “So my adult life has been spent serving the community,” she added.

“TLC has been a staple of the community for 40 years,” she said. “We have members in our congregation’s lives who have been changed by TLC.” The nonprofit organization has integrated into other non-profits in the community, she remarked.

“They are very successful, they contribute to all of the other human service agencies that they are connected to,” Noltee said.

“I just think that they are doing a phenomenal job – and Williamsport needs help.

“This is an organization who is providing solutions so I think we should be doing everything in our power to empower them to do what they’ve been doing well in the community for 40 years,” Noltee said..

“I do understand your concerns, I am not disrespecting anyone’s concerns, but, really, TLC has been operating and doing a fantastic job for a very long time. In our opinion it is a pleasure and it was an answer to our prayers that they are coming in,” she said of the church that is in its 12th year, a house of worship and membership that has provided thousands of pounds of food, clothing and assistance such as doing yard work for community neighbors.

“We were actually surprised that the neighborhood was so affected by them coming. I think they do a phenomenal job,” Noltee said.

“We are pleased to share that TLC was granted the requested variances at the Zoning Hearing Board meeting on June 18,” said Hayes in a written response. “We appreciated the overwhelming support. Importantly, we also heard the concerns expressed by community members and encourage anyone with questions to contact TLC. “Our goal is to operate with transparency, be a good neighbor, and help make our community a safer place for everyone and we look forward to working with the community in achieving those goals.”

“We love our community,” Klinger said.