Interfaith gets a makeover: See Boise’s controversial homeless shelter’s newest look
Colorful art designs, outdoor chalkboards and a playground are just a few of the changes residents of the Veterans Park neighborhood will soon see coming to State Street as the Interfaith homeless shelter moves forward.
The newest design of the much-discussed Interfaith building was unanimously approved by the city’s Design Review Committee.
Interfaith bought the former Salvation Army thrift store and office at 4306 W. State St. to replace its location on River Street. The new site is intended to offer more beds and more services to Boise’s homeless community but has faced significant opposition from the neighborhood for more than a year.
Now the planning phase of the project is nearing completion, with the design review vote marking one of the shelter’s last permitting hurdles.
“I believe that, with the changes that have been made, we have an improved facility, a larger facility, a facility that addresses many of the concerns that we heard during the (Planning and Zoning) hearing,” said Geoffrey Wardle, Interfaith’s attorney, at Wednesday’s committee meeting.
According to the latest design presented to the public, the main structure would be expanded from 26,013 square feet to 39,574 square feet. It would include beds, offices, recovery program classrooms, community rooms, computer rooms, laundry facilities, client intake areas, a kitchen and dining areas.
A second, smaller building on the site, previously used as the Salvation Army’s Food Pantry, would be converted into individual private rooms for guests.
A total of 205 beds for 101 families, 57 men, 26 women and 21 medically fragile guests will be available.
The exterior would be painted white and gray, with teal accents on features like metal canopies and window frames. Square “art boxes” would appear on the first and second floors, featuring art by local artists, donors and Interfaith Sanctuary guests. Additional panels on the eastern, family side would have chalkboards to allow children to create their own art.
The north side of the site would be upgraded and landscaped to provide “separate outdoor recreation areas for both adults and families, including park-like areas, outdoor seating, bike parking, play structures and overhead protected areas,” according to Interfaith plans submitted to the city.
Opponents from the Veterans Park Neighborhood Association spoke for over an hour against the shelter. Complaints dove deep into the details of the design plan, hammering on issues like “ambiguous site intake flow,” whether children’s facilities at the shelter should have to adhere to child care facility design codes, and the adult lounge not being divided by demographics.
Committee member Dana Zuckerman expressed her surprise at hearing concern for how the design would affect residents after many of the same people tried to prevent the project from happening.
“I’m very surprised to hear tonight that it’s all about concern for the residents of the facility,” Zuckerman said once testimony closed. “It’s hard not to be cynical, sitting here and listening to that and wonder if this isn’t a last-ditch effort to try to kill this project.”
This story was originally published October 15, 2022 at 4:00 AM.
