A Neighbor Worth Having

I am at a loss to understand what all the hullabaloo is about Phoenix House opening an adolescent drug-treatment facility in Lake View Terrace. I know it is often difficult to accept the unfamiliar, but I am convinced the Phoenix House program would serve our community well and I wish the people of Lake View Terrace would learn the facts:

* High-risk drug abuse among adolescents is on the rise and it is destroying our society.

* Troubled teens who abuse drugs often need residential treatment, because their home situations are too dysfunctional to provide support.

* The Phoenix House program demands strict discipline and provides round-the-clock supervision.

* No drugs are permitted at the Phoenix House facilities. If teens need detoxification, they must complete it before they are admitted.

* Neighbors of Phoenix House facilities in other cities say that it is a good neighbor, and experience demonstrates that property values do not decline.

For many years I have been involved in San Fernando Valley activities concerning the environment, youth and numerous other issues and I am convinced that Phoenix House would make a positive contribution.

JEROME C. DANIEL, Tarzana