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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-23-19 Public Comment - J. Woodcock-Medicine Horse - HRDC Warming Center Site1 Sarah Rosenberg From:Jennifer Woodcock-Medicine Horse <jwmh.tiwg@gmail.com> Sent:Wednesday, October 23, 2019 2:48 AM To:Sarah Rosenberg Cc:mrsculver0798@gmail.com; montanaokie16@gmail.com Subject:Warming shelter proposed for Westridge/South 3rd Dear Ms. Rosenberg, I learned this evening of HRDC's plan to convert a home at Westridge and South 3rd into a 36 bed homeless shelter. Growing up in Berkeley and San Francisco, I am a steadfast believer in providing community services and support to the homeless and underemployed. I realize that this is a growing problem in Bozeman, and that since I moved here in 1998, very little has been done in this regard. When I moved to Bozeman, the solution was literally a bus ticket out of town. That is clearly pretty barbaric. Bozeman is pretty clearly in need of better services in this regard. I have just finished reading the fairly lengthy and detailed notes that my neighbors recorded at the October 15 community meeting about this proposed shelter. I must say that locating a large homeless shelter, with no screening of residents, in a residential neighborhood full of small children, and adjacent to schools is one of the most poorly conceived ideas I've come across in some time. As I recall, it is Montana state law that anyone convicted of a sexual assault or crime against a minor must have their residence information publicly available - how, exactly, does the city propose not to find itself in breach of that law if no criminal checks are required for occupancy? Does this not sound like a gigantic potential lawsuit against HRDC and the City of Bozeman if one single pedophile slips through the cracks and targets one of the many children in this densely packed family neighborhood? And "checking weapons at the door"? Really? Is there going to be a metal detector? Or how, exactly, will this weapons ban be enforced? Again, it just takes one nut job with a gun to initiate a disaster. And that needn't necessarily be an occupant of the shelter, it could be a tense neighbor. I never thought that I would be a NIMBY harpy, but really, this is a total disaster in the making. There are many other neighborhoods far more appropriate. I have just moved from living on Main street for fifteen years to this neighborhood, picked in part for its low-key quiet family characteristics. If you want to create a 36 bed homeless residence, Main street is ideal - there are many upstairs units, Main is pretty quiet during the hours that you propose, and there is great local transportation - you wouldn't have to bus people in and out. As I recall, there was a home adjacent to the old Fiesta Mexicana that was proposed for a shelter - again, in a mixed use area, adjacent to the BMX park, true, but that isn't used much in the evening hours. Another idea might be to take a look at some of the trailer parks - they aren't going to hold up against gentrification for long, but perhaps might offer an alternative housing option before the developers sink their teeth into that land too. Or, the city could purchase one of the struggling motels on North 7th - it would be an ideal situation, and, if needed, the city could sell the property in the future at a substantial profit. It would appear that the good and hardworking folks at HRDC didn't think this through really at all. Perhaps because we are so far behind the times here in Bozeman, as far as supporting folks in need. 2 I would ask that as City Planner, you step in to re-evaluate the wisdom of locating this much needed shelter right in the middle of a kid-dense neighborhood. I do not want to convey a hard hearted attitude. Many of us in Bozeman are a couple of paychecks away from facing very hard times as wages stay static and cost of living rises - it does not make us criminals. But felons do have a much harder time finding work, especially good enough work to support themselves in a home. Too, people with mental health issues can find holding down a home pretty impossible if they are not stabilized with some kind of treatment. Neither of these are the kind of transient neighbors one would wish for young children. Perhaps some research would be in order prior to authorizing this shelter? A few minutes on Google provides some information and ideas: https://www.huduser.gov/Publications/pdf/support_1.pdf https://www.fastcompany.com/90300902/this-mini-neighborhood-for-the-homeless-could-be-built-in- 90-days https://crim.sas.upenn.edu/sites/default/files/Ridgeway_Effect%20of%20Emergency%20Shelters- v5_1.2.2018.pdf https://www.vox.com/2014/5/30/5764096/homeless-shelter-housing-help-solution https://cor.mt.gov/Portals/104/ProbationParole/PPDOperationalProcedures/PPD%201.5.1000%20S- V%20Offender%20Registration%20and%20Level%20Desig.pdf Thank you for taking the time to consider my comments. -- Best wishes, Jennifer Dr. Jennifer Woodcock-Medicine Horse 2504 Langohr Ave; Bozeman, MT 59715