‘Dream shelter’: Interfaith Sanctuary is eyeing a new space on State Street
By this point next year, one of Boise’s shelters for homeless people could be moving into a new “dream shelter.”
Interfaith Sanctuary plans to move from its location at 1620 W. River St. to take over the building of a former Salvation Army thrift store at 4306 W. State St., Executive Director Jodi Peterson said in a phone interview. The building cost $2.4 million, she said, and the renovation will cost $2.5 million.
Plans include a kitchen to train guests for food service jobs, a dining room, a community garden, a playground and more. The property is on the bus line, near the Greenbelt and close to many job opportunities, Peterson said.
The shelter would have individual units for families, which helps cut down on the trauma children in particular experience when homeless, Peterson said. It would have space for guests with special medical needs, which would help to cut down on reliance on the emergency medical system.
“The purpose is to create a more dignified way to be homeless,” she said.
The current site doesn’t have separate space for families, nor does it have a proper kitchen, she said. Interfaith Sanctuary has been open since 2005 and in its current building since 2008.
CATCH would move to new shelter site
Before the pandemic, the shelter had up to 184 beds. Safety restrictions now mean that about 140 can stay in the shelter. Up to 83 people are sheltering in hotel space. The new shelter would have room for about 300 people.
CATCH, a program that provides services to homeless people, plans to move with Interfaith to the new location. It will be farther from Corpus Christi House, a day shelter, but Interfaith will also act as a day shelter. Peterson said staff from both places felt they could work in tandem.
The sale of the building won’t be final until late March, Peterson said. Interfaith’s staff also wants to work with residents of the Veterans Park neighborhood, where the new center will be, before moving in to “gracefully enter this neighborhood.”
“We were very thoughtful about which neighborhood we would go to,” Peterson said. “We didn’t just look for whatever building was available. We looked for a neighborhood that actually has thoughtful neighbors that have shown acceptance.”
Veterans Park is home to Valor Pointe, a 27-unit apartment complex funded in part by the city of Boise that houses veterans and provides them with services. Valor Pointe, at 4203 W. State, is almost directly across the street from the Salvation Army building. The neighborhood also has lot of affordable housing, Peterson said, and fewer businesses that people often fall prey to, such as pawn shops and payday loan offices.
The new building would have secure entry point for guests on the back side of the building, not visible from the street.
Her hope is that will be enough to help people embrace the project.
“No matter where you live, these are our neighbors,” she said. “This is who we are. The city of Boise takes care of our own.”
Some Veterans Park residents concerned about people congregating
Matt Ciranni, president of the Veterans Park neighborhood association, said that he didn’t oppose the project. He spoke to Peterson about goals for the beautification of the property — plans include installing gardens, improving the landscape and painting the building — and the rules for shelter guests.
Some residents of Veterans Park have voiced concerns about how the shelter could lead to “large numbers of homeless people congregating,” but most people wanted to learn more, he said.
“It’s a tough position between wanting to do the right thing for the less fortunate and at the same time, wanting to make sure that the neighborhood is protected, the property vales are protected, the quality of life in the area is not negatively impacted,” Ciranni said. “It’s a really tough balance between this kind of not-in-our-backyard attitude and really wanting to do the right thing for both the shelter and the neighbors. Hopefully we can find a way to make it work out for everyone.”
The work so far to acquire a new building has come from donations and through help from local agencies to connect with grants and other sources of money, Peterson said. Interfaith Sanctuary staff members haven’t started on a capital campaign for the remodel of the new building yet. Peterson said that would come after conversations with neighbors.
The shelter’s first meeting with neighbors will be at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 21, at the Salvation Army property, 4306 W. State St. It is not a public hearing but a conversation and the first step in submitting a development application to the city.
This story was originally published January 15, 2021 at 1:17 PM.
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