Cape Coral residents worry about safety near uncertified recovery home | WINK Listens

Residents in a Cape Coral neighborhood are expressing concern over a nearby home used for addiction recovery.

Credit: WINK News

Doug Dean, a resident, attended a WINK Listens event and voiced his worries about the home in northeast Cape Coral.

“This is not safe for a neighborhood, and I’m hoping WINK News will get involved,” said Dean.

Dean described the neighborhood as a place where children play and families reside.

“Because this is a place where kids play, ride their bikes, go to school, and in the evening, these guys are around these kids, while they get out of the cars and on the school buses. They’re feared. Parents are scared to get out and tell them, it’s just not good,” said Dean.

Serenity Recovery Living operates the home and serves men recovering from substance abuse.

WINK News talked to the house manager, and he told us eight men are currently living here, recovering from drug and alcohol abuse.

“And I see people walking through my backyard, walking up and down the streets. I pick up needles,” said Dean.

The home is near a family fun zone and a bus stop for children. According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, a registered sex offender lists the house as his permanent address.

“It doesn’t matter what time of day or night; you see the sirens. You can hear the fire trucks come in. You can see the sirens and the lights outside my house,” said Dean.

Records show police have responded to the address 33 times in the past year and a half for various incidents, including battery and disturbance. Fire and EMS have been called 11 times for medical needs in the past six months.

“I’m not opposed to that part of it, but I think this, if the local government can’t do it, then the state should get involved and try to regulate these houses a little better,” said Dean.

The Florida Association of Recovery Residences works with the state to certify recovery programs, but this home lacks certification. The house manager explained that it is an informal program with eight men living there, adhering to rules like nightly curfews.

“It’s just not good, it’s not a good scene for neighborhoods,” said Dean.

Check with the Department of Children & Families and the Florida Association of Recovery Residences to find a certified recovery center or to verify that one is certified. 

To see if there are registered sexual offenders or predators in your neighborhood, check with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.