Cedar Rapids' ANCHOR Center is back on track

CEDAR RAPIDS -- The first-of-its-kind residential treatment center for parolees and probationers with mental health issues is set to open in 2014, after the more than $2 million building has sat empty since the ribbon-cutting in November 2008 because of lack of funding.

The Anchor Center, 3115 12th St. SW, Cedar Rapids, will have 26 beds for offenders who have mental, behavioral and substance abuse issues and need a transitional structure that will help them receive proper treatment and an opportunity to learn life skills that will stabilize their behavior and keep them from returning to the correctional system.

Bruce Vander Sanden, director of the 6th Judicial District Department of Correctional Services, said the proposed funding for the center back in 2009 was $2.3 million, but state budget cuts prevented that funding and the opening of the facility. The district is planning to open the residential center in January 2014 with less than 26 residents and less staff to start out.

Vander Sanden said the district is still working on funding and wouldn't estimate what the projected budget might be at this point, but said it was unlikely they would have the $2.3 million.

“There will be no problem in filling the facility, but we will have to start smaller,” Vander Sanden said. “We've gradually gotten some funding over time with the help from our community partners. I'm hoping to get more state funding.”

Inmates in need

According to the 2012 Iowa Department of Corrections annual report, about 51 percent of Iowa inmates and about a fourth of the 29,286 supervised in the community were diagnosed with some form of mental illness. The severity of the illness varies and many also have substance abuse issues or other problems.

Malinda Lamb, clinical services director for the district, said statistics show the need in the state and the outpatient component of center, which has been up and running for a few years, continues to grow and serves an estimated 145 probationers or parolees at this time. They offer many specialty programs designed to treat those with mental illnesses, substance abuse and other behavioral issues.

Lamb said what will make this residential center unique is that each staff member will be specially trained and certified to deal with the “whole person,” including mental, physical, social and educational needs, while also addressing the behavior that leads to criminal acts. The staff will include licensed mental health providers, alcohol and substance abuse counselors, social workers and psychologists.

“The staff will always be interacting with the clients, whether it's teaching them a life skill like learning about hygiene or how to budget finances, or even playing a board game,” Lamb said. “Many of them don't have those social skills that everybody takes for granted. They don't understand that you have to take turns playing a game or you have to be quiet while watching a movie. Those basic skills, they don't understand.”

The facility

Lamb and Vander Sanden took The Gazette on a tour of the center last week to show how the two-bed spaces are set up, much like dorm rooms, with added features for safety and security that are found in jail and prison cells.

Safety features in the rooms include curtain rods that aren't removable, so they can't be used as weapons or to self-harm a resident. The top of the closets are slanted so nothing can be placed or hidden, the mattress covers are transparent so residents can't hide anything inside. There also are no hand-held shower sprayers or shower heads that could be harmful.

The center has three wings with 26 bedrooms, a large room which would be used as a dining area or an area for daily activities, a large security area hub in the middle and therapy or meeting rooms.

Lamb said living out in the community is a big change for offenders who just get out of jail or prison, which are structured environments, and this center would be for transitional residents for four to six months. Lamb said working in the criminal justice system for many years, she knows those with mental health issues will adjust better in the community if their illness is properly diagnosed and their medication is stabilized.

Lamb said the goal is to lessen the offenders' structure a little at a time to get them ready for the community when they will be independent. Many of them may work while they are living at Anchor, which the staff would encourage if they are able.

“We want the least-restrictive environment for them, but this will be a high-needs population which will be challenging, so we need to make sure the staff is trained and prepared,” Lamb said.

Vander Sanden said they've been waiting too long to open this center, which will lead to less reoffenders in the system.

“We need to get up and running, and show we can be successful,” Vander Sanden said.