Kyle Green | The Roanoke Times

Monticello Manor assisted living facility on Williamson Road is being denied a license and must close by the end of the month.

The state is moving to close a Roanoke assisted living facility next week, leaving about two dozen residents with mental illnesses to find new homes.

After noting repeated violations, the Virginia Department of Social Services has denied a license to the owners of Monticello Manor on Williamson Road to operate a 31-bed assisted living facility and said operations must cease by the end of the month. If the facility remains open without a license, the state will seek an injunction from the commonwealth's attorney, said Brent Kennedy, associate director of operations with the division of licensing programs for the department of social services.

Edward Jones, president of Ashed Healthcare Systems, which owns Monticello, said he was unaware of the state's intentions to close the facility.

"I had no clue of any of this until you mentioned this," Jones said when contacted late Thursday about the impending closing.

Social services will work with adult protective services to find new living arrangements for those still living at Monticello. That process has not begun yet, Kennedy said.

This comes after the new owner, who took over in January 2010, was unable to meet state requirements for getting a license. The state had granted Ashed Healthcare a six-month conditional license when the business changed hands.

Since then, inspectors have detailed numerous violations that showed poor living conditions, outdated record-keeping, inadequate staffing and improper care of residents.

Moldy bathrooms, poor plumbing, water leaks, crumbling walls, broken lights and roaches are among the repeated problems chronicled in state inspection reports.

At one point an inspector found that residents had been without toilet paper for at least two days. In July the building's water was turned off because the owners had failed to pay the bill.

According to the inspection report, the owner initially said the water was turned off because of a planned "flushing the system" and had to do with fire safety. Ten minutes later, the report notes, the owner said the unpaid bill was an "extra bill" and was not paid because he was busy and forgot.

Jones acknowledged Wednesday, before the state confirmed to The Roanoke Times that it was moving forward with closing the facility, that there were problems with the building and said he had spent between $50,000 and $60,000 to fix plumbing, electrical and cosmetic issues.

Monticello has had two previous owners, both of whom had histories of violating state regulations, according to state records.

The inspection reports also indicate ongoing issues with dispensing medicine, following physician orders and meeting the health care needs of the residents.

Patients were being given prescription medication when there was no record of a diagnosis for those drugs. In some instances, drugs that were supposed to be given weren't being dispensed. A diabetic wasn't receiving insulin. Another patient was only getting half the prescribed dose of medicine.

Earlier this year two residents lost Medicaid coverage after the Monticello staff member assigned to file annual renewals for the residents failed to complete the work.

The inspection reports also show that Ashed Healthcare has failed to meet staffing guidelines. Monticello has operated without an administrator since August. It has repeatedly failed to do background checks, train staff in certain required areas and maintain schedules that show an adequate number of people are working.

Jones said he has tried to work with regulators to meet the requirements for running an assisted living facility but the process is not friendly to owners. He said he intends to fight to keep Monticello open because he got into the business to help an underserved population.

"The reason my wife and I got into this is to actually make a difference," Jones said. "Just because you are on Medicaid and mentally ill ... you don't have to live in a slum."

In the fall the state first notified Ashed Healthcare that it intended to deny the license to operate. The owners appealed the decision. An informal conference was held to decide if the license should be granted.

The state has a copy of a signed certified letter dated April 1 notifying the owners that the decision to deny the license was upheld, Kennedy said. The owners had 15 calendar days to appeal.

Jones said he never signed for a letter and never was notified of that decision. He said if he had received the letter he would have appealed.

"I have to talk to them tomorrow," Jones said. "That's detrimental to not only my business but to the people who live there."