With over $3 million in state and federal taxpayer dollars, Queen Anne's County is planning to build a large homeless facility at the State St. entrance to the Cross-Island Trail and Old Love Point Park

The site is also located within a quick walk are the thousands of students at Bayside Elementary School, Kent Island Elementary School, Stevensville Middle School, Kent Island High School, Shine Like Stars Preschool and four daycare facilities.  Thousands of schoolchildren from Kent Island, Grasonville and Queenstown will be affected and need us to speak up for their security and freedom of movement.

Numerous homeless advocates, mental health and law enforcement experts agree that placing this facility in an area specifically intended for for public educational, recreational and residential use - but far from health, mental health, social services and transportation - is a terrible mistake for the local community and the homeless.

According to the Comptroller of Maryland, Peter Franchot, “This site is a bad site...you’ve managed to somehow get a site that’s bad for the clients...and it certainly isn’t something that the residents there think is appropriate. So you’ve managed to come up with a site that’s not good for either party.”

The shelter operator, Haven Ministries, states that the three primary reasons its mostly male clientele comes to the shelter are substance abuse, mental illness and unemployment.  According to the US Census bureau, about 80% of the poverty in Queen Anne's County is east of Kent Island.   The state also says 23% of the homeless are severely mentally ill and 19% are chronic substance abusers. 

325 State Street may have looked great on a zoning map, but in reality - it's a terrible mistake.  Let's unite as a community and urge our county, Haven Ministries and affiliated churches to find a more suitable location that will benefit everyone.