Please note - any donations submitted via this petition go to change.org, not to the organizers of this petition.

Interfaith Sanctuary has proposed moving their homeless shelter into the heavily residential, notably low income and racially diverse, neighborhoods of Veterans Park and Collister. Their plan is to occupy the Old Salvation Army thrift store at 4306 W. State Street in Boise. They will be decreasing their current shelter by 40 guests and cramming families, single men, single women and medically fragile guests under one roof.

This is a low-income neighborhood that already supports:
an emergency shelter for women and children experiencing homelessness, transitional housing for those exiting homelessness and permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless Veterans. There is also an abundance of low-income housing with more being added as City-designated affordable housing at State and Arthur.

Per City-Data, the portion of Veterans Park south of State Street shows 37.6% of folks are living below the poverty line already. North of State Street, in the Veterans Park neighborhood, there are 16.4% of us living below the poverty line. Just north of State and West of the proposed location, 24.6% of folks are living below the poverty line. As a point of reference, the 2022 current guidelines for the poverty line include a family of four making $27,750.00 or less per year.

The frustrating part of this entire process is that as neighbors we agree that there needs to be more affordable housing and shelter for those experiencing homelessness.

But what Interfaith Sanctuary is proposing goes against the latest Federal and National Coalition to End Homelessness recommendations for non-congregate shelter.

In fact, the Federal Government believes so strongly in moving towards non-congregate shelter that the American Rescue Plan designated millions of dollars to build or renovate and create this specific type of shelter. The reason for this push is that non-congregate shelters provide space for people experiencing homelessness to process their trauma and return to their feet with privacy and dignity.

One of the bigger problem with the relocation of Interfaith Sanctuary to State street is that it is moving into a residential neighborhood. In fact, 25% of their property is zoned residential and does not allow for a shelter home to be built on the property.

Additionally, what Planning and Zoning found is that their use is not compatible with zoning code with the main finding that their relocation with create an undue burden and have effects on the area that cannot be mitigated.

Other sites and models should be considered. Sites include the Old Statesman building, Boise Outlet mall, near Boise Towne Square, the former Cottonwood Suites off Main, the Red Lion, the former OEC building off 16th and Main, the vacant lot adjacent to New Path, and a redevelopment of the Cabana and Budget Inns. All of these sites offer opportunities for smaller, population-specific and more safe, NON-CONGREGATE shelters. There is federal, state, and local money allocated to the City to support these developments. Additionally, the City should continue to explore creative solutions for rapidly deploying emergency shelter housing that can be used permanently or temporarily and easily reconfigured based on need. This includes encouraging citizens to house a homeless individual or family in their home or in an accessory dwelling unit.

If you would like more information, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/NoShelterOnState