Oct 8, 2019 2 min read

Gaudenzia Inc. has abandoned plans to open a women’s recovery house in a Wilmont Avenue home in South Strabane Township and East Washington Borough.

The nonprofit organization withdrew an application for a text amendment to a South Strabane Township ordinance that would have permitted the proposed long-term residential home for pregnant women and mothers recovering from drug and alcohol addiction to operate at the home at 100 Wilmont Ave.

South Strabane manager Brandon Stanick confirmed Gaudenzia pulled the request for the rezoning of the property sometime late last week.

“They withdrew the request, so they’re not going to pursue it,” said Stanick.

Gaudenzia’s plan to purchase the home for an estimated $649,000 and open a residential rehabilitation facility on the nearly seven-acre property was met with resistance from residents from South Strabane and East Washington.

Gaudenzia held an informational meeting nearly two weeks ago to discuss details, where residents of the two municipalities voiced their opposition to the nonprofit’s plans and asked Gaudenzia representatives to open the recovery home in a different location.

Residents met the following day to plan an organized grassroots opposition.

The proposed recovery facility would have housed as many as 16 women with up to two children each, under the age of 12, for a total of 48 occupants.

A needs assessment conducted in 2018 revealed a shortage in Washington County for programs for pregnant women and mothers recovering from drug and alcohol addiction.

Gaudenzia provides treatment to pregnant and parenting mothers in residential care, along with their children, in Pennsylvania and other states.

A call to Gaudenzia for comment was not returned Monday.