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eventually the Arch will go, too.
• A new facility on the adjoining properties could double the space of the Arch and allow the nonprofit to expand its programs.
• "The programs are more important than the beds," Steve Fodness, director of residential services for the Carroll Institute, told the Argus Leader (http://argusne.ws/1dPcfEG ).
• The longer the clients stay in a sober environment, the more it helps them in the long run, Fodness said. But with two to six men sharing a room, he said, they get in a hurry to leave.
• "It's just not the best for everybody," he said.
• Most clients go through the treatment program at the Arch in 10 to 12 weeks. Adding two to three more weeks to that would be of great benefit, Fodness said.
• The Arch provides a place for men transitioning back to normal life after time in jail or intensive treatment for their addictions. Most come to the Arch homeless and unemployed.
• Newcomers visit with one of the two staff counselors and start by setting goals. They follow a 4 p.m. curfew and can leave the house for only a few hours at a time to look for work. Once they land a job and hold it for a while, they earn more privileges. They can stay out later and for longer periods.
• "A sober house and a job or a purpose are two things we can give people to help them on their way," Fodness said.
• Executive director Gary Tuschen said administrators at the Arch have seen an increase of 3 percent to 5 percent in services from year to year.
• Typically, about 20 people are on the waiting list for the Arch, which can house up to 40 clients. The new facility would have room to house another 30 to 40 men.
• The extent of the expansion depends on finances, which won't be settled until early next year, directors said.
• "It's been 10 years of scrimping," Tuschen said.
• "To be even talking about expansion as a nonprofit is miraculous," said Brad Patterson, director of clinical and prevention services.
• The Carroll Institute is going to the Sioux Falls Planning Commission with its proposal Jan. 8. The nonprofit is seeking a conditional-use permit for the new facility. Group homes within 1,000 feet of each other require a special permit. Volunteers of America runs another group home nearby.
• Tuschen said it's an ideal location because it's close to transportation and health care services.
• Patterson said the new facility will be a great enhancement to the Pettigrew Heights neighborhood.

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