Homeless shelter move ignites debate

Sitting in the Rev. Stephen Cook’s office at First Baptist Church, the excitement in the air is palpable. “It’s a good day,” says the Rev. Donnie Anderson, flashing a wide smile. “That’s right,” says Cook. “The contracts are ready to be signed. The past few days have been non-stop go, go, go.”

The RiverOak Church of God minister has worked for months with Cook on the House of Hope relocation.

Both serve on the executive committee of the homeless shelter as president and vice president, respectively.

In conjunction with a search committee, the House of Hope board of directors recently settled on a home at 206 S. Ridge St. in the basement of the Compson Studios building.

The Danville Register & Bee had reported Thursday that the address was 707-711 Ridge St., but the shelter’s mailing address will now be the basement entrance.

Opposition to the move
Even with the public support of the new shelter on Ridge Street, there is vehement opposition to its relocation downtown. Challengers point out that placing House of Hope is contrary to the efforts of revitalizing the area. There is an even more passionate argument by some that the shelter’s position adjacent to Galileo Magnet High School puts students in danger’s way.

Danville City Councilman Fred Shanks opposes placing a homeless shelter at the location facing Galileo Magnet High School. On Friday, he issued a news release addressing his feelings on the matter.

“I’m rather surprised that the city zoning ordinance doesn’t, at the very least, require a special-use permit,” Shanks said. “There should have been a special-use permit required and a public hearing.”

Shanks explained that the type of use the shelter requires is not appropriate since the basement of Compson Studios faces Galileo.

“While it is indeed unfair to suggest that all, most or even some of those who are down on their luck are necessarily undesirable members of society, I would submit that there is no way of knowing with absolute certainty such a person’s background or criminal record. I believe allowing a shelter such as this next to a school could be construed as a blatant disregard of the public’s trust expected of city government.”

To defend his stance, Shanks referred to information provided on The National Alliance to End Homelessness Web site with statistics supporting that “at any given point in time, 45 percent of homeless report indicators of mental health problems during the past year.”

Shanks said that his wife, Kathy, teaches at Galileo, but he made it clear that fact is not the motivation driving his opposition to the shelter’s move.

Those interested and heavily invested in the revitalization of downtown Danville have also made their voices heard. Michelle Bender, co-owner of Dixie Bags & More, which sits across from the former Compson Studios, said the building is not a good choice for a homeless shelter.

“It would be bad for business,” Bender said Friday. “It will attract indigents.”

“Vagrants would beg for money from customers, driving business away,” Bender said. “Other merchants would be affected and the move would hurt the city’s revitalization efforts,” she said. “Homeless people usually have drug-abuse problems and shouldn’t be housed next to a school,” Bender said.

Bender acknowledged that the homeless need a place to live. “I know they need a home,” she said. “I just don’t think this is a wise place to put it.”

Anne Adcock and John Mason, co-owners of Foxglove, had thought of moving downtown from their current location in Schoolfield. However, any thoughts that they had of switching storefronts for their clothier would definitely be dashed if the homeless shelter relocated.

“Any shot at the city attracting us downtown would be gone due to this development,” Mason said. “That’s right,” Adcock interjected. “I believe that shelters are needed, just not in the middle of a business district. They will deter traffic from stores, when the homeless loiter and panhandle.” Mason added, “If we had a fine dining restaurant downtown, I wouldn’t be interested in going to dinner, as I wouldn’t necessarily feel all that safe.”

“The shelter’s relocation is not the right tool for revitalizing the downtown district,” Shanks said. “Major investments are being ‘incentivised’ and actually made, thereby improving the appearance, viability, business climate and tax values of the district, as well as the tax base for the city.”

Shanks contested that the city’s interpretation of its own rules does not make sense as it puts the shelter in the same classification as motels and hotels. The councilman clarified that motels and hotels charge fees to generate income, unlike House of Hope.

‘Much closer to integral resources and agencies’
When Cathy Hill closed Danville’s only homeless shelter at 716 Claiborne St. in North Danville on New Year’s Eve of 2008, the House of Hope board of directors scrambled to reopen the doors.

“The shelter was closed for about only 10 days, but it was 10 days during the coldest part of this past winter,” explained Cook. The board had the Claiborne Street shelter reopened by Jan. 10. The doors could not have opened soon enough as temperatures plummeted close to zero.

After reopening the facility, the Danville Homeless Ministry Coalition realized the need to relocate to an area more receptive to its mission. They believed that downtown Danville was perfect.

“Not only will we be in a comfortable environment, but House of Hope can now be much closer to integral resources and agencies,” commented Anderson. “This proximity will only improve the transition of our homeless residents, or guests as we refer to them, to a self-sustaining lifestyle.”

Anderson continued, “The Ridge Street address at Compson Studios is close to the Department of Social Services, the Free Clinic of Danville, Piedmont Access to Health Services, the city’s bus line that goes from downtown to the Adult Education Center and the public library.” Anderson’s reference to the library relates to computers available for people to search online for jobs using search engines and the Virginia Employment Commission’s Web site.

Anderson and Cook describe House of Hope as a short-term shelter that serves as a stop-gap, helping people through a crisis situation and moving them forward toward a stable state of financial and domestic affairs.

“The recent economic downturn has sent people our way who wouldn’t normally be at House of Hope. For example, we had an elderly couple come in that were recently evicted from their home,” Cook said. “They need about 30 days to get back into permanent housing. These are not people who would typically need our help, but the current economic situation dictates where they are.”

‘A place to hang my hat’

The House of Hope board is currently in the process of converting the Ridge Street building from a nine-to-five business to a functional shelter open 24 hours a day all year round. Hughes and Atkins Construction Co. Inc. serves as the contractor, with Dewberry providing plans.

At Claiborne Street, the men’s quarters house up to 12 men and four women. Moving forward, the new shelter looks to accommodate the same 16-bed limit mandated by fire codes, but with much more leeway for creativity.

“We are looking to house people in a more practical way, with the ability to rearrange rooms and beds when needed,” said House of Hope Director Steve Anderson. “We want to be able to house husbands and wives together as well as families with children. The new facility has the ability to hold two rooms with bunk beds and three family rooms. Right now we have about nine residents a night, but we had no vacancies during the those harsh winter months.”

Under the condition of anonymity, one guest expressed his thankfulness to House of Hope. “I only need to be in here for about a month to piece a couple of paychecks together,” said the guest. “I feel very fortunate that they give me a place to hang my hat for a bit until I move out soon. I feel safe and respected here.”

House of Hope takes safety very seriously. For admission to the shelter, guests must undergo a background check performed by the Danville Police Department. Once approved, guests check in daily from 5 to 7 p.m., with a 7 p.m. curfew. Guests are mandated to leave the facility by 10 a.m. daily.