Non-certified halfway house in Cape Coral causing concern for neighbors

Neighbors said their safety is at stake because a home in their neighborhood has ‘excessive’calls for 911 help and increased traffic. Police reports and direct contact with a man claiming to represent the entity, appear to confirm their worries.

The house is situated on SE 17 Ave. in Cape Coral. Neighbors tell WINK News that the home stands out — and not for the right reasons.

“There’s been a lot of police cars that are parked in front of the house and a lot of strange people walking back and forth,” said a neighbor who requested anonymity.

We first got a call about this home from a concerned viewer who believed it was a halfway house.

Another neighbor, who did not want to show his face, told WINK News that increasingly troubling signs became more prevalent last month.

So we did some digging and found more than 20 calls for help to this home in the last six months. The calls were for things like overdoses, convulsions and two deaths.

In a December death investigation report, police found the victim on the floor with a syringe and spoon adjacent.

The report said the house is run by “Serenity Recovery Living.”

So we stopped by. The man who answered the door called it a halfway house. Its website said it is for addicts and recovering alcoholics. He referred us to his manager, who initially answer the phone and told us to call back later.

We tried, but he did not answer.

If it is a halfway house, the Florida Association of Recovery Residences said in an email, “We do not have that address in our database, therefore not only are they not certified, they have not made an application to be certified.”

People at the house said their business is legitimate, but some neighbors wish it was not right next door.

“Nobody informed the neighbors this was going to happen,” said the neighbor who requested anonymity. “It just opened.”