Neighbors don’t want Boise homeless shelter to move near them. Here’s what just happened
Interfaith Sanctuary has decided to delay its application to relocate its homeless shelter to State Street, but Director Jodi Peterson said the shelter still plans to move there.
Neighbors objected to the shelter’s proposed location in a former Salvation Army thrift store at 4306 W. State St. Interfaith is now housed in a smaller, 10,000-square-foot building at 1620 W. River St.
Residents of the Veterans Park neighborhood told Peterson that they are afraid for their children’s safety, of crime, of diminished property values and more. People who testified at a meeting earlier this month said they felt blindsided by the proposal, which has been in the works for a long time but just recently became public.
A member of the neighborhood association’s board sent a letter to Interfaith last week asking when the shelter would hold an in-person meeting. Prior gatherings have been virtual.
Geoff Wardle, a Boise lawyer who is representing Interfaith pro bono, responded Tuesday with a letter announcing that the shelter would delay its application until after an in-person open house was held in March.
The shelter staff planned to submit a planning application to the city this week.
“We took a pause and said we need to have more real conversation,” Peterson said in a phone interview Wednesday. “We know at the end of the day, if you just push yourself in there, no one wins. We have to try and do this together, so we need more time.”
She said she understood why neighbors said they felt rushed, and she wanted the time to address more of their concerns.
Part of the problem, Peterson said, is that some of the data neighbors are hoping to see information on crime or economic effects that has not historically been collected by other shelters looking to move. She said she planned to collect the data herself for other shelters in the future, but for the time being, it largely does not exist.
The March meeting will be held safely, she said, with help from the neighborhood association and others who live within 300 feet of the site. Peterson said an in-person conversation may create “kinder conversation” and a more “intimate discussion.”
Peterson said that despite the criticism, she believes the new location is a great place for the shelter and that it would not hurt the neighborhood, even if it was less popular than the average business in the area.
“There are a lot of conspiracy theories, but the reality is we literally just want to make sure that we can care for our homeless population in the best way possible,” she said. “That’s it. We have to continue to have the conversation and find a way to work together.”
A call to the Veterans Park Neighborhood Association president Wednesday was not immediately returned.
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