homelessness

Volunteers needed for 100,000 Homes Campaign Registry Week

Ruby Sinreich — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:20:37 -0600

Passing on an invitation from a friend:

An Open Letter to Kevin Wolff, Candidate for Mayor of Chapel Hill

jagordon — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 22:40:28 -0500

After reading an email about Kevin Wolff's "Warning to Chapel Hill Residents", I was inspired by the response from the men of the IFC shelter to write an open letter to Mr. Wolff regarding his allegations about the danger of moving the men's shelter near Homestead Park.

Mr. Wolff:

Community House Resident Responds to Wolff Flyer

Molly De Marco — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 19:20:39 -0500

Earlier this week, perennial Chapel Hill mayoral candidate Kevin Wolff disseminated a campaign flyer in the Homestead Park neighborhood telling parents that they should be very concerned about the men's transitional facility locating on Homestead Road, suggesting that when the shelter is located there "a child will be assaulted, molested, kidnapped, and/or killed in that park. It's not a matter of if this will happen... it is a matter of when." The full flyer can be read here.

Homestead Park Citizens Organize

Burton Peebles — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 18:05:42 -0500

Homelessness in Chapel Hill is an issue that, unlike what happens in many communities, reaches headlines in our local media and often the agendas of our Town Council. However, as residents of Chapel Hill seek to safeguard business interests downtown, and as the worsening economic climate continues to find more and more in need, the topic has become increasingly contentious. In too many cases, our most needy citizens are seen as eyesores, barriers to business development and told to get out of town.

With local food pantries stretched to their limits and the current downtown shelter falling into decay, the Chapel Hill Town Council, after lengthy hearings and deliberations, approved the Inter-Faith Council (IFC) Men’s Community House Transitional Shelter Special Use Permit (SUP) in 2011 subject to the IFC satisfying several conditions, including the creation of a Good Neighbor Plan (GNP).

Correcting the Record on the IFC Good Neighbor Plan

Guest Author — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 06:37:00 -0500

An e-mail from Eleanor Howe to the Chapel Hill Town Council:

Dear Mayor Kleinschmidt and members of the Town Council,

I am a member of the committee working to create a Good Neighbor Plan (GNP) for the IFC’s new Community House at 1515 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. As such, I’m writing in response to a “guest column” in today’s Chapel Hill News by Mark Peters, and because a status report on the committee’s work to date is on the Council agenda for Sept. 26.

I take great exception to Mr. Peters’ characteristics of the GNP committee as a “biased committee that lacks transparency.”

What IFC's new neighbors are worried about

wadetj — Tue, 10 May 2011 20:30:47 -0500

Check out this comment on the News and Observer article:

"The trouble at my downtown business all began when the police station moved out and the homeless shelter moved in. Downtown looks like hell. It is dirty and unkept. How about a program that pays some of these homeless to clean up the area they call "home"?
Good luck to the neighborhood this place is moving into. I actually have more homeless people using my property for a toilet or a bed than I did before the homeless shelter opened. Why? b/c they can get a meal, beg money, then go get drunk or high. They are then turned away from the shelter and end up crashing on the nearest "cozy" property.
Chapel Hill has put out the welcome mat to homeless and they are come in droves."

Chapel Hill Town Council Approves IFC Community House

Molly De Marco — Tue, 10 May 2011 15:11:38 -0500

The Chapel Hill Town Council last night approved a special use permit (SUP) for the Inter-Faith Council for Social Service’s Community House at the corner of Martin Luther King, Jr Boulevard and Homestead Road in a 6-2 vote after another dramatic public hearing. (The first part of the public hearing was held on March 21). Council members Czajkowski and Easthom voted against the application; council member Pease was absent.

The hearing began with the presentation of a petition from the lawyer for a group of neighbors asking that Mayor Kleinschmidt and council members Rich, Harrison, and Czajkowski recuse themselves from voting on the SUP application because they had ostensibly already made up their minds when they answered a question about the issue on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce candidate questionnaire during the 2009 elections.

Public Hearing: IFC Community House Special Use Permit Application

allan rosen — Mon, 02 May 2011 09:23:30 -0500

This is a continuation of the March 21 public hearing for the Inter-Faith Council's Special Use Permit Application for the the new Community House facility planned for 1315 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. We expect this to be first on the agenda of the council's business meeting, which begins at 7 pm.

Moving forward for the IFC

Molly De Marco — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 20:23:21 -0500

Last Monday night (March 21^st, 2011) the Interfaith Council finally made it through the Special Use Permit process to present their plans for a Men’s Homestart-like Transitional Housing Facility.

The process of finding a location for a men’s facility has been going on for over two decades. In that time, many potential sites have been considered and each time discarded after vigorous complaint by potential neighbors.

This time, IFC has gone through the rigorous Special Use Permit (SUP) process with a higher level of scrutiny by town residents than most SUPs receive. The application has now been unanimously approved by all necessary advisory boards, including the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, Planning Board, Community Design Commission, Transportation Board, and Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board.

"Our backyards." The Carrboro Citizen has an excellent editorial about locating the IFC shelter and the Carrboro Library.

Ruby Sinreich — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 21:42:14 -0500