PETITION regarding the approval of a large residential facility for patients released from mental institutions and ex-prisoners with mental problems at 78 Fort Place, Staten Island. We urgently request all our elected and other officials to review and rethink the approval of St. Vincent\'s Catholic Medical Centers\' (SVCMC) application to run a residential facility at 78 Fort Place in Staten Island for recently released mental hospital patients and mentally ill released prisoners. Such a large scale facility violates the property\'s zoning regulations, and would be bad for both its own residents and the community. In St. George we accept, and even welcome, those requiring special services. We are home to a Project Hospitality drop-in center for the homeless, a Skylight mentally ill drop-in center, and presently host a SVCMC facility for the mentally ill. Castleton Towers has many subsidized tenants who are valuable members of our community, and we have a large public housing project located across Westervelt Avenue. And there are many other services such as Covenant House and an AIDS outreach center. We want our special populations to be properly served. But a large residential facility is a different matter, as it would not serve our local population, it would stigmatize and not well serve its residents, and it would be detrimental to the community. Therefore we urge all those responsible for this proposal being approved: do not crush our neighborhood under the weight of so many needy residents packed into a single facility which violates zoning regulations. Withdraw your approval, and stop this facility.

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