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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-23-19 Public Comment - T. Menuez (with HRDC IX, Inc.) - Westridge Women's and Family ShelterFrom:Jeff Krauss To:Agenda Subject:Fwd: Westridge Women"s and Family Shelter one-page summary Date:Wednesday, October 23, 2019 2:10:39 PM Attachments:Westridge Women"s and Family Shelter Executive Summary 10.22.19.pdf ATT00001.htm I’d guess this needs to be part of the public record as there is an application likely to beappealed to us. Begin forwarded message: From: Tracy Menuez <tmenuez@thehrdc.org>Date: October 23, 2019 at 2:09:07 PM MDT To: Cyndy Andrus <CAndrus@BOZEMAN.NET>, I-Ho Pomeroy<IPomeroy@BOZEMAN.NET>, Terry Cunningham <TCunningham@BOZEMAN.NET>, Jeff Krauss <Jkrauss@BOZEMAN.NET>,Chris Mehl <CMehl@BOZEMAN.NET> Subject: Westridge Women's and Family Shelter one-page summary Please see attached a one-page executive summary developed by Warming Center staff to help answer some of the common questions received regarding theproposed Westridge Women's and Family Shelter. Our staff is reaching out to households on the adjoiners' list for a more focused meeting. Additionalcommunity meetings with the broader neighborhood may be scheduled in the coming weeks, however; we want to focus our attention on our immediateneighbors in the short term. I'm happy to answer any questions you might be receiving, please feel free to reach out. Thank you. Best,-- Tracy MenuezAssociate Director HRDC IX, Inc.406.585.4890 Woman and Family Emergency Shelter Executive Summary HRDC wants to thank our community members who have spent time with our staff learning about the proposed Westridge Women and Family Shelter. In response to questions we have received, we are providing this summary of the proposal and our operations plan. The complete Special Use Permit Application and proposed Management Plan is on file with the City of Bozeman Planning Department. The Warming Center first opened in 2010 with the goal of providing a safe, warm, and dry place for individuals experiencing homelessness to sleep at night during the winter months. As part of our mission to make sure none of our neighbors freeze to death in the cold, the Warming Center is a low-barrier shelter and welcomes all individuals and families who check-in and agree to follow the Warming Center Participant Agreement. The Warming Center is a service only for HRDC participants and is not a public space. The proposed Westridge Home would serve women and families experiencing homelessness. Last winter we served 61 single women and 9 families with children. On our busiest evening, we provided safe shelter to 22 people. The Westridge Home was acquired by HRDC in October 2019, after a lengthy community wide search for a facility large enough to accommodate the shelter needs of women and families in our community. Transitional housing is a permitted use in a R-1 neighborhood with a Special Use Permit (SUP), an application for which has been submitted to the City of Bozeman. A detailed management plan is required to be submitted with the SUP request. The management plan is the set of rules the organization must follow in order to continue using the property in the proposed manner. A deviation from the submitted management plan will result in revocation of the SUP. If HRDC ever wishes to change the use of the home outside the management plan, a new SUP must be submitted or the use must conform to the City’s list of permitted R-1 uses including household requirements. This includes any off- season use. As the property owner, year-round maintenance of the home is the responsibility of HRDC. The management plan submitted for the Westridge Home outlines that it will serve women and families experiencing homelessness. A father accompanying his family to the shelter may stay there, however; couples without children may not. Pending approval of the Special Use Permit with the City of Bozeman, the home will be open upon approval until March 31, 2020. The regular Warming Center season is from November 1st to March 31st. During this timeframe, the home will be open to women and families from 7 pm to 7 am. Staff and volunteers will be onsite and awake at all times with varying shifts. Below is a typical daily schedule: Nightly Schedule (Staff conduct hourly facility checks) 6:30 PM Staff and volunteer briefing. Preparation for opening. 7:00 PM Bus departs HRDC for the Westridge Home. 7:00 PM Doors opened if two staff/volunteers are present. Guests arrive from HRDC, staff conducts intake & check-in. 8:00 PM Supervised smoking break. 9:00 PM Supervised smoking break. 10:00 PM Television and lights turned off. Supervised smoking break. 1:00 AM Shift change and debrief. Supervised smoking break. 5:00 AM Coffee is made. 6:00 AM Lights on. First wake-up announcement. Begin cleaning bunk rooms. 6:15 AM Second wake-up announcement. 6:30 AM Final wake-up announcement. 6:45 AM Shuttle bus arrives. 7:00 AM All guests out of building. Doors locked. 7:30 AM All lights off. Heaters turned down. Cleaning completed. Staff depart. Parking and Transportation Only staff and volunteers will be allowed to park at the Westridge Home. All guests are required to park at HRDC’s Main office at 32 South Tracy Avenue for transport via shuttle at 7:00 pm. Guests will be transported back to HRDC each morning at 7:00 AM. Guests are only allowed to arrive at and leave the premises in the shuttle. Behavioral Expectations Shelter guests must review and sign the Participation Agreement each evening, which outlines the community expectations. Guests are expected to behave in a manner that prioritizes the safety, health and well-being of guests, staff and the community. Alcohol and drug use is prohibited. Smoking is only allowed at designated times in a designated area, with staff supervision. Like all HRDC facilities, the Westridge Home is a weapon-free zone. Absolutely no firearms are allowed on the property. Any other weapons, including but not limited to pocketknives, mace, bear spray, etc. must be stored by a staff member in a secure and locked location. Registered Offenders Level 3 sexual offenders will strictly be prohibited from staying at the Women and Family location. Montana law prohibits a level 3 sexual offender from living within 300 feet of a school, day-care center, playground, developed or improved park, athletic field or facility that primarily serves minors, or business or facility having a principal purpose of caring for, educating, or entertaining minors. It also prohibits a sexual offender from establishing a residence or any other living accommodation in a place where a minor resides, including the Westridge Home. Level 3 sexual offenders are required to report their status, and sexual offenders who do not regularly reside at a residence that can be located by a street address are considered transient. Transient offenders must: register within three days of entering a county of Montana, report in person on a monthly basis with the registering agency, and provide to the registering agency the locations where they stayed during the previous 30 days and intend to stay during the next 30 days. Property Maintenance Maintenance of the Westridge Home will be managed by HRDC and Warming Center employees year-round, including snow removal and lawn care.