WILMINGTON — There is a divide between local leaders and officials over how to move forward with a local philanthropist's temporary housing solution for the homeless.
read more: Eden Village identifies land for homeless pod campground
Wilmington city officials on Monday recommended rejecting Revive Campground, a proposal to provide overnight shelter in pods to people living on the streets without housing. The project is the work of Tom Dalton, president of a tiny home community for the unhoused called Eden Village.
Residences will be provided with climate-controlled shelter from 8pm to 8am. With enough space for twin beds, a bedside table, a chair, and a small heater, homeless people can rent pods for $10 a night or use the provided “gift coupons.” Masu. Have them or the Eden Village team cover the cost.
Current plans call for up to 200 homes on the Marstella Street site, up from the 50 homes per acre Dalton reported in the Port City Daily earlier this month. Dalton is asking the city to donate a parcel of land between 16th and 17th streets, known as the Coleman Complex, for development.
The site is used by the city as active supply and surplus storage, a salvage yard, and a holding area for the Wilmington Police Department.
The city of Dalton proposes to initially implement the project on a six-month trial basis, according to a proposal presented Monday during a City Council agenda review meeting.
If all goes according to plan, Dalton will move forward with construction of a bathing facility that can accommodate eight people at a time, and will renovate the blue building on the property into check-in facilities, gated storage, and social worker offices. Dining pavilion with trash service for outdoor food delivery and volunteer opportunities.
Housing and Neighborhood Services Director Rachel Lacow on Monday ran through a list of complications involved in finding a campsite there.
First, this 2.38-acre property is zoned UMX (Urban Mixed Use), meaning no campground development is permitted. Rakow said rezoning the land would require “significant changes to the city's land use policy.”
The city will also be tasked with relocating current operations at the complex. Rakow said there is no other facility where WPD can store seized vehicles.
Lt. Greg Willett told Port City Daily on Tuesday that WPD has 18 vehicles on the lot with open space, but said there was a time when space was very limited. He said safety standards would need to be put in place elsewhere if detention sites were moved.
City staff discussed the option of co-locating the campground and encampment, subject to the City Council's choice to move forward with the proposal.
Pedestrian safety is another concern, especially given that pod residents cross the property daily, according to data from the Wilmington Metropolitan Area Planning Authority. There were three motor vehicle accidents involving pedestrians or cyclists from 2017 to 2021.
Additionally, staff is concerned that the property is located in a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development R/ECAP or racially or ethnically concentrated area of poverty. Rakow pointed out that the communities of Hillcrest and Houston Moore, projects of the Wilmington Housing Authority, are located within blocks of the site.
It is worth noting that Eden Village was built at 2974 McClamy Street in the Creekwood neighborhood. This area also has Wilmington Housing Authority properties.
Rakow brought up crime statistics for the area, noting that the property is located in District 3, which has the highest violent crime rate in the city. City Councilman Kevin Spears questioned the addition. Rakow said it was important to evaluate all potential uses for the site.
The concerns expressed by staff echo similar concerns expressed by the Cape Fear Care Continuum at its Jan. 18 meeting. Wilmington, New Hanover County and Brunswick County all have representation on the board, which distributes federal funding to local homeless organizations.
Most recommended the city sell the Marstella property and find a better location for the Eden Village proposal, according to meeting minutes. Some board members thought it would be more beneficial to use the money for affordable housing instead.
Kyle Abrams, president and deputy director of the Good Shepherd Center, noted that the site is surrounded on three sides by a railroad and two busy streets, making it easy for people to stay at the Marstella Street location. He expressed concern about the dangers he would face if he tried to go. night.
Tufana Bradley, New Hanover County Deputy Director of Human Services, asked if any residents in the proposed area had been consulted. Her minutes state: “She felt that too many services were concentrated in her neighborhood and could cause problems for nearby residents.”
At Monday's meeting, Councilman Clifford Barnett made similar, albeit more blunt, comments, citing concerns about “all the poor people being concentrated in one part of the city.” Councilor Luke Waddell voted in favor of moving forward with the proposed property.
“I have been advocating for the need for short-term emergency shelter for years, but in my opinion we have basically ignored this and moved Housing First through permanent supportive housing. We've put more money into the effort,” Waddell said.
He said the city of Dalton has a proven track record and emphasized the opportunity for the city to help solve problems. He then asked his staff when it would be on the agenda for a parliamentary vote.
City Manager Tony Caudle said he will begin drafting a business plan and site plan to present to the City Council at another date.
Mayor Bill Saffo imagined the City Council and New Hanover County Commissioners would be asked to contribute funding to the budget. Eden Village has already received more than $500,000 from both organizations.
The mayor said more homeless people are coming to Wilmington because of the concentration of services in the city, but it's not just the homeless who are “in distress.”
“I think they play an important role here because they are an extension of the state government and they raise most of the money for these types of projects,” Saffo said.
Waddell agreed, saying county commissioners were willing to help but thought it would be “shameful” if they didn't.
At the same Jan. 18 meeting, the Cape Fear Continuum of Care also weighed in on how both municipalities should fund homelessness efforts. The Board also recommended that the City, New Hanover, Brunswick, and Pender Counties adopt a standard that requires recipients of funds, both monetary and in-kind, to participate in and coordinate entry into the federal Homeless Management Information System. A resolution was passed calling for this to become a common practice. The former is a data collection system that each CoC is responsible for using. The latter is centralized scoring to triage and connect homeless individuals to appropriate resources.
Eden Village participates in neither and is excluded from HUD funding and, if the CoC resolution is adopted, from local funding.
Mr Hayes said PCD Eden Village is providing residents' names to the CoC to be removed from the organization's list. He went on to explain that none of the several Eden Village projects in the country use the HMIS system, as it does not align with month-to-month lease options. He said their application system was able to help people who had been living on the streets for some time despite having a low adjusted admission score.
Another complication of coordinated immigration was that Eden Village prioritized those most in need, regardless of whether they were good citizens of the community they were trying to create.
At a joint meeting on February 7, councilors and commissioners questioned why there was a “breakdown” between the two agencies and cautioned against any appearance of a “tribal mindset” when it comes to homeless assistance. .
“What I don't want to do is create another level of bureaucracy and create a group that claims we're a clearinghouse for exchanging who gets what in the community. Again, , they may not have all the best practices and someone else could come and do something very innovative here,'' Commissioner Jonathan Barfield said at the Feb. 7 meeting. mentioned in.
However, another letter obtained by PCD this week said CoC board chair Abrams believes the first letter had unintended consequences.
“Please understand that CFHCoC is not directing or requiring cities or counties to do anything they do not want to do,” he wrote. “We are simply asking that you consider this request.”
Abrams claims that the narrative that the resolution was created to exclude non-partner institutions was “patently false.” He touted his good relationship with Eden Village, whose representatives will attend CoC meetings, and said he and another board member, Andrea Stoff, met with Dalton on February 14 and agreed to “work out a good compromise.” They reported that they felt that they had reached the goal of achieving this goal.
One local leader took issue with Abrams' approach to correcting the record.
In an e-mail response to the board chairman, Commissioner Barfield wrote, “We would be better served by having a conversation rather than writing a letter.” “For me, as I read this letter, I am even more concerned about its tone. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to set up an in-person meeting.”
On Tuesday, Mr. Hayes told PCD that although Eden Village's relationship with the CoC had been strained in the past, the working relationship with Mr. Abrams and Mr. Stoff was “very good.”
Abrams said in the letter:
“In the past, CHFCoC has been told that we are a ‘silo’ or that we are ‘bullying’. , I believe we are delivering on that promise,” he wrote.
To show support for Dalton and Hayes' pod project, Abrams said he will submit a memo at the March 21 CoC meeting supporting a rezoning that would allow pods to be built on land adjacent to the current Eden Village site. Stated.
PCD asked Hayes what kind of property Abrams, who did not respond to PCD's questions from reporters, was referring to and whether the Eden Village team agreed to the proposal. Mr Hayes said no agreement had been reached.
Have any tips or comments? Email Journalist Brenna Flanagan (brenna@localdailymedia.com).
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