Columbia River Mental Health Services plans to close Elahan Place, its residential rehabilitation and treatment center, this fall due to difficulties maintaining staffing.
A statement from Columbia River Mental Health said Elahan Place has room to care for 32 adults but had an average of 17 clients over the past two years.
“The low client number is not due to a lack of community need but rather relates back to the difficulty in staffing,” the statement said. “The ratio must be proportional to keep both clients and staff safe in the facility.”
The statement said the decision was made earlier this month, and it said plans have been made to safely discharge clients.
Conversations have already begun for future uses for the Elahan Place building, including operating it as transitional housing, a homeless shelter, or a domestic violence facility with Columbia River Mental Health Services providing behavioral health support services, according to the statement.
