Glasgow Opens Transition Apartment House On Broadway

JOLIET, IL — A few dozen Will County public officials and local dignitaries were in a celebratory mood on Tuesday morning as they welcomed the addition of Will County's first transition living apartment building, and third residential facility overall. The program was established several years ago by Will County State's Attorney Jim Glasgow.

The Connor Kelly Residence is at 200 North Broadway St., not far from the old Joliet Catholic High School building. Kelly died at age 18 in 2014 following a heroin overdose.

Kelly's family worked with Glasgow and his staff to provide a haven for people who are trying to recover from their drug addictions and turn the corner with their lives.

"I was just speaking with (Connor's) mother and his grandfather," Glasgow told everyone at Tuesday's ribbon-cutting. "That drug changes you in a way that we can't comprehend. And whenever I talk about heroin I make sure that I tell people that if I took heroin, I would be just as dependent as every other heroin addict on the planet.

"You lose control of your rationale thought processes, you don't care if you live or you die. The only thing you're looking for is your next fix," Glasgow explained.

Glasgow told everyone that Will County's Drug Court only has about a 10-percent relapse for those on drugs. "That's pretty amazing," he said.

Glasgow praised Julie McCabe Sterr, Will County Problem Solving Courts Coordinator since 2004. He said that she has been instrumental in expanding the transitional living program.

"And we have made fantastic strides since that time. I believe we are the only drug court in Illinois that has three halfway houses," Glasgow remarked Tuesday.

The residents chosen to live at the Connor Kelly house will have undergone a rigorous screening through the Will County Problem Solving Court. The people who will be living here have battled drug addictions and they must be non-violent criminal offenders and they work with a recovery specialist who lives with them on the site.

(Article continues below this photo of Jim Glasgow.)

A total of 12 men will reside at the near-west-side transition apartment building at 200 N. Broadway St., plus their house manager.

Will County's other two properties are single-family houses, the Miller Taylor House, which houses six men, and the Julie Ann House, which houses eight women.

The Miller Taylor House is on Frank Street. The Julie Ann House is on Lime Street.

After Glasgow gave his remarks, others who spoke at the podium included: Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride, Will County Chief Justice Richard Schoenstedt and McCabe Sterr.

Will County Board member Herb Brooks offered the invocation.

Others in attendance for the ribbon-cutting included Will County Executive Larry Walsh, Walsh's chief of staff, Nick Palmer, and retired Will County Circuit Judge Carla Alessio Policandriotes, who is now a lawyer in private practice.

Connor Kelly's mother, Karen Heil, and his grandfather were also on hand, as were more than a half dozen Joliet Police officers and several Will County officials and staff.