IFC AND TOWN TO ABANDON TRANSITIONAL PROGRAM AND START DROP IN LOW BARRIER SHELTER
Wednesday June 21, 2023 Town Council Meeting - Town Staff Recommends gutting the Neighbor Plan and improperly using this change to override the transitional housing use allowed in the SUP.
Dear Neighbors,
The IFC transitional men's facility at 1315 MLK Jr. Blvd is about to change to a 69 bed DROP-IN, LOW-BARRIER, WET SHELTER which violates EVERY promise made to neighbors in 2011 that it would be a highly managed 52 bed long term transitional facility for men committed to sobriety with emergency shelter limited to 17 beds only during inclement weather.
Multiple attorneys in 2011 and 2018 have informed neighbors that a change to low barrier use ABSOLUTELY requires a new SUP or at least a Major SUP modification with quasi-judicial hearings, but the town is proceeding without the required SUP changes and hearings.
Neighboring property owners and businesses have been impacted by the current use and some have emailed the town. One property owner has had such significant impacts in the past several years that they recently spent $25K to build a fence and they still have to check the cameras daily to resolve any overnight problems before the tenants arrive. Another business has staff clean up trash such as beer and liquor bottles daily which is a direct impact of the shelter and the town tries to fine them for trash that is not theirs. These are just a few examples of impacts that staff would have learned within a few minutes of engagement in an attempt to balance needs of the community rather than advocating just for the developer (IFC).
Staff did not even bother to contact nearby neighbors and business owners to ask about their impacts. The town staff are only focused on advocating for the developer (IFC).
The impacts now seen at nearby businesses could easily affect Homestead Park, which is already surrounded by all of the overnight at-risk facilities in 1/5 of a square mile in our 400 square mile county with no mitigation of risk and no future fair share policies.
The town must properly follow the law and require a new SUP for the new use.
[See table below for IFC programmatic changes]
The IFC’s Special Use Permit for the men’s transitional shelter was approved in September 2011, construction was completed in August 2016, and we have been busy with our daily lives, knowing we did everything we could to impose safeguards that would limit any impacts from the new facility.
On June 21st, 2023, with no mailed notice or zoning sign type notice to the neighbors, it appears to be a fait accompli that the town will deliberately look the other way while IFC violates its special use permit (SUP) and changes to a drop in facility with no stated sobriety requirements, no stated background checks, and no substance to its neighbor plan.
The proposed policy ideas call for eliminating the transitional program in favor of creating a “low barrier” walk-up emergency shelter. This is a radical change from the existing program and eliminates every important promise made to Homestead Park Area Neighbors.
Regards,
www.ABetterSite.org
Major Changes Proposed
| Original Approved Use | 2023 Suspected Comparison since Town Staff did not compare for citizens | Original Governing Document(s) / Hearing |
|---|---|---|
| 52 Transitional Men are the primary clients | Transitional program cancelled. The 52 beds will be converted to wet, low barrier, 24x7 drop in beds, 365 days per year? | SUP (See images below) & SUP Hearing Representations |
| Transitional program participant signs contract committing to sobriety and a multi-step progression program | No Sobriety Required? No Contract? No Background Check? No Structured Program? | SUP Hearing Representations & Informational Meetings & IFC’s 2012 Neighbor Plan (p4) |
| 17 Emergency cots only on inclement weather nights (roughly 100 nights/year) | 17 cots will be converted to wet, low barrier, 24x7 drop-in, 365 days per year? | SUP & SUP Hearing Representations & IFC’s 2012 neighbor plan (p6) |
| 17 Emergency Clients are registered off site | 24x7 drop-in? | SUP Hearing Representations & IFC’s 2012 neighbor plan (p7) |
| 17 Emergency Clients eat at IFC Community Kitchen. Only transitional eats on site. Clients transported to and from. | Meals at 1315 MLK, Jr.? (removed in proposed 2023 IFC neighbor plan) | SUP Hearing Representations & IFC’s 2012 neighbor plan |
| 17 Emergency Clients are registered off site | Residents drop-in 24x7? (removed in proposed 2023 IFC neighbor plan) | SUP Hearing Representations & IFC’s 2012 neighbor plan |
| 17 Emergency Clients provide ID, pass background check, not on sex offender registry | ??? (removed in proposed 2023 IFC neighbor plan) | SUP Hearing Representations & Informational Meetings & IFC’s 2012 neighbor plan (p6/7) |
| Clients who leave in the middle of the night lose privileges for 30 days | ??? (removed in proposed 2023 IFC neighbor plan) | IFC’s 2012 neighbor plan |
| Alcohol and Illegal drugs are not allowed on or near premises | ??? (all references to illegal drugs and alcohol removed in proposed 2023 IFC neighbor plan) | SUP Hearing Representations & IFC’s 2012 neighbor plan (p6/7/11) |
| Neighbor plan content pages | 2012: 18 pages of program & operation details 2023: 3 pages of program & operation details |
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