Indio city council approves mental health facility despite residents’ concerns

Some residents in Indio are upset over a mental health facility set to be built near their neighborhood.

Indio Behavioral Health Center is slated as a more than 70,000 sq. foot facility with 80 beds for patients with mental health disorders like substance abuse, depression, schizophrenia, PTSD, and more. It will be built on Buffalo Trail, near JFK Memorial Hospital.

Hundreds of residents who live near the site have come out in opposition, and with the project moving forward full steam ahead, they’re even more concerned than ever.

“This type of facility should not be so close to people’s homes, to families, to kids playing in the street,” Indio resident Morgen Bentsen said. “There should be some sort of buffer between it.”

City council unanimously voted for the project at their meeting last Wednesday.

“A lot of the issues that we have are mental health and substance abuse,” said Councilmember Glenn Miller. “You can see it on your streets you see it in your neighborhoods. You see it in your homes. And this helping to address some of those issues.”

Homeowners nearby are worried about the risks the facility could pose to a residential area. One part of the facility will be adjacent to a wall separating the site from homes, and another area is directly across the street from other homes.

“These are all people who could damage themselves or others,” Bentsen said, “The concern is, if in whatever scenario somebody does get out, they end up in someone’s front yard, they end up in someone’s backyard.”

Last fall, the city’s planning commission voted the project down after hundreds of residents voiced concerns, writing letters, petitioning and speaking out to city council.

But last week, city leaders overturned that vote 5-0, saying residents’ concerns have been addressed with added security measures like 24-hour guards, security walls, and biometric locks.

The city has also formed a community advisory committee to work with residents and project managers and address any further concerns.

Construction is expected to begin on the facility at the end of this year.

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