Group-home owner files zoning appeal

By Sean Barron

Many of the teen residents have been helpful in the community, the owner said.

ELLSWORTH — The owner of a controversial group home for troubled teenage boys is appealing a ruling declaring that his facility fails to comply with certain township zoning regulations.

George Syrianoudis of Canfield, who owns Redemption House, has filed an appeal of an Aug. 12 decision by Judge Timothy E. Franken of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court stating that the group home at 11780 W. Western Reserve Road does not meet requirements as a single-family dwelling. Syrianoudis is represented by Atty. David Betras of Boardman.

The appeal was filed earlier this month in the Mahoning County clerk of courts office.

Judge Franken ruled in favor of the Ellsworth Township Zoning Board of Appeals, which contends that Redemption House does not meet requirements for an R-1 zoning classification.

Atty. Mark Finamore, who represents the township, said many of the teens at the home are under separate contracts through the Ohio Youth Authority and are there temporarily. A classroom, office and other modifications have been added — all of which are contrary to a single-family unit, he noted.

“We believe that type of home would be better in a commercial or multifamily dwelling zone,” Finamore added.

Syrianoudis has said a love of children and a strong belief in God prompted him to open Redemption House in late 2006 to provide stability, structure and guidance for teenage boys, many of whom have run away, suffer from various emotional problems, come from broken and abusive homes, and face other challenges. The home now has six boys between 13 and 17, he said.

Syrianoudis and his wife, Beth, have seven children of their own, including two they adopted.

Nevertheless, those opposed to the facility have contended that sexual offenders could end up at the home and that inadequate resources are available for the teens’ needs.

Others such as Kim Sisko and John Bates say they’re not against Syrianoudis’ objectives, but cite the zoning issue as well as what they say are problems with the septic system and the occasional youngster escaping.

Sisko said that, despite Syrianoudis’ promises to monitor the teens, a neighbor recently found two of the boys on his property, a situation that frightened his teenage daughter. He also didn’t have a clear plan initially regarding his goals, she added.

“We believe in helping people out and in second chances,” Sisko said. “Teens can mess up, and I support their goals. But it’s clear they hadn’t done their homework before they came in there.”

Bates, a member of an opposition group called Ellsworth Concerned Citizens, referred to a July 17 letter to Syrianoudis from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s Northeast District office stating that his septic system was meant to temporarily hold wastewater from the home.

A June inspection, however, found that wastewater was overflowing, that the surrounding area was filled with sewage and that the system “poses a health risk to residents and the neighbors of Redemption House.”

Syrianoudis said he’s fixed the discharge problem since the inspection and that he pumps the septic tank once a week. Plans are under way to install a new system next spring, he added.

He noted that the Fair Housing Act of 1968 and Fair Housing Amendment of 1988 both declare that a group home is legally considered a residence that meets R-1 zoning requirements.

One child did escape in July, but had not harmed anyone and was found at a nearby store, Syrianoudis acknowledged. Many of the kids, however, have helped area residents; one boy got a job at a local restaurant and no one knew he had been at Redemption House, Syrianoudis explained.

“The neighbors have been against us since day one and said we would destroy the fabric of the community and bring in sexual predators,” even though the facility has proved to be a good neighbor, he said.

Redemption House offers off-site recreational activities, Bible studies and other learning opportunities for the teens. Ten or 11 part- and full-time staff members are there, Syrianoudis noted.

The average length of stay for a teen is one year, he said, adding that it is difficult for the boys to be placed in foster care largely because of their age. Nevertheless, he continued, none is a sexual offender because taking in such boys could pose a risk for the female workers.

Syrianoudis said he plans to stay put, partly because he’s invested a lot of his own money into the facility. A move would mean a financial loss, he added.