I am a concerned resident of Elkhorn, WI. Recently, there has been talk of building the Twin Oaks homeless shelter at the Jackson Creek subdivision. While we empathize with those less fortunate and understand the need for such facilities, we believe that placing them within residential neighborhoods is not the best solution.

The construction of a homeless shelter will cause a decrease in property values. According to data from The National Bureau of Economic Research and the National Association of Realtors, property values in Jackson Creek could decrease by 12 - 20% just by the presence of a homeless shelter and property values across all of Elkhorn will fall 10% or more due to appraisers utilizing comparable values. This would have a negative impact on all of our most important asset, our homes.

Moreover, it's critical to consider the safety and well-being of families living here. A study by The Journal of Community Psychology found that areas around homeless shelters often experience an increase in crime rates.  This has also been confirmed by the abundant police responses to the current shelter as evidenced by a recent open records request.  We want our children to grow up in an environment where they feel safe.

We propose that this shelter be built elsewhere - preferably near Lakeland Hospital on County NN.  Many of the organizations in this area, Health and Human Services, Treehouse and the hospital to name a few, are well positioned to provide assistance and making it more convenient to access these services makes sense.

We urge city officials and decision-makers to reconsider this plan and prioritize maintaining safe neighborhoods with stable property values over placing homeless shelters within them. Please sign this petition if you share these concerns.