HARVEYSBURG — A bill allowing the state to shut down unlicensed group homes for youths — prompted by a program forced out of this northern Warren County village in January — has been introduced in the General Assembly.

        Teen Reach, an Arizona-based religious program for troubled teens, operated in several houses in Harveysburg for nine months. Its leader, the Rev. Bobby Torres, moved the operation out of the area after Enquirer stories revealed it was breaking many state and local regulations.

        “It's about time,” village resident Michele Cochran, who pressured several state agencies into investigating Teen Reach, said of the bill.

        House Bill 424, introduced by state Rep. Tom Raga, R-Deerfield Township, would give the Department of Job and Family Services clearer authority to enforce existing rules. The Ohio Revised Code directs Job and Family Services to inspect group homes for children, but doesn't say what happens if a home refuses to cooperate.

        The Rev. Mr. Torres said Teen Reach was exempt from state oversight because it was church-based, but state officials disagreed.

        If the bill passes, Job and Family Services will be able to seek court orders closing homes that don't follow rules meant to ensure they are clean, have adequate staffing levels and training, and meet fire safety codes.

        “It kind of closes a loophole that existed out there,” said Dennis Evans, a spokesman for Job and Family Services. “It's not an issue that arises very often, but when it does, you really need to be able to do something about it.”

        Teen Reach suddenly moved out of Harveysburg in January, days after an Enquirer story detailed the failure of Job and Family Services, the Department of Education, and Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services to make the program follow their rules.

        “We sleep easier, but you have to wonder,” Mrs. Cochran said. “They're still running their (operation) somewhere. That still bothers me.”

        Mr. Raga hopes to hold hearings on the bill in early 2002.

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