A Chatham-Kent community is looking for answers from a local group home after two separate incidents in the past month.
On November 15, a 43-year-old man living at St. Francis Advocates (SFA) assaulted two employees while experiencing a mental crisis. The SFA home supports individuals with developmental disabilities.
Police said the man broke out through a window but was later found by officers. He was quickly located thanks to a GPS monitor he was forced to wear after he previously broke out of the same group home.
During the first incident on November 6, the man hid inside the home of Charing Cross resident Ainslie DeBoer. She was eventually able to call CK police, who arrested the man, but not before the man allegedly assaulted one of the officers.
“By no means did I think he wanted to hurt anyone for fun, but I do think he is capable of hurting somebody,” said DeBoer.
Ever since the incident in her home, DeBoer didn’t think the group home was a suitable spot for the man since he was able to break out. The second escape only solidified those feelings.
“I just really hope the facility is being honest and doing all that it can,” DeBoer added, noting that she also hopes the man gets the help he needs, whether that is at the home in Charing Cross or somewhere else.
The SFA Senior Management Team sent statements to CK News Today following each of the incidents. In the second one, officials noted the home is not a detention centre or a jail, but rather a place where their residents have specific rights and freedoms.
“We have extensive regulations and rules to follow to uphold these rights and cannot simply enforce restrictions on their freedoms and cannot bar windows/doors or rehome people after a situation,” read the statement.
SFA Management stated it cannot share details about the man who broke out twice in two weeks, but noted staff continue to work with medical professionals and legal authorities to support him. They said they did implement additional security measures after the first incident, but did not specify what those measures were.
“We acknowledge these recent events have caused fear for the community, but as an organization, we want to reassure the community that the health and safety of the people we support and our community as a whole, remains our top priority,” added the management’s statement.
They ended the statement by explaining that without the group home, this man could end up homeless like many suffering from developmental disabilities due to a lack of support, services, and resources available.
You can read the full statement from SFA below.
