Location, Location, Location
Schools, Parks and Neighborhoods
The proposed site of the men’s homeless shelter is
Homestead Park, one of the busiest and largest parks in the Chapel Hill system, is used daily by hundreds of residents for Rainbow and YMCA Soccer; school, church and adult baseball leagues: by swim teams, families, dog park users, joggers, skateboarders and playground kids.
The Orange County Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness states that 30% of homeless individuals in North Carolina had been released from the criminal justice system, 23% of the homeless population in Orange County were severely mentally ill and close to 40% had chronic substance abuse issues. Relocating the men’s shelter adjacent to the park could put families, students and children in potentially dangerous situations.
Lack of adequate housing for convicted offenders adds contributes to the number of homeless sex offenders. At this time convicted sex offenders are registered at the current men’s shelter according to the Orange County Sheriff’s registry. The proposed shelter location is less then 1,000 feet from three preschools and two after-school programs and the site is within 1,000 feet of Homestead Park where hundreds of children play daily. It is unwise and irresponsible to locate a shelter that could house convicted sex offenders next to schools and parks and it is also illegal for registered sex offenders to knowingly be within 1,000 feet of such areas.
Safe routes are key to a $30M park with playgrounds, an aquatic facility, youth soccer fields, baseball diamonds, etc. So why would the town plan plan to surround the park with at risk facilities? Why doesn't the town have ordinances requiring reasonable buffers to youth recreation and athletic facilities?
The proximity of the proposed shelter to developments such as Parkside, Vineyard Square, Rainbow Heights, North Forest Hills, Windsor Park, and the Chapel View/Chapel Ridge apartment complexes violates the tenets of Chapel Hill’s Comprehensive Plan for neighborhood protection.
The Comprehensive Plan states “The Chapel Hill residents believe that protecting the physical and social fabric of neighborhoods is key to maintaining the Town’s community character”. Possible loitering, camping and panhandling in nearby developments and Homestead Park would threaten the safety of the residents and negatively impact the social fabric and quality of life of these neighborhoods.
