** UPDATED BELOW **
Last night the Shelburne Select Board hosted an open public hearing after hearing from residents about neighborhood safety concerns at Harbor Place, temporary emergency housing with services operated by the Champlain Housing Trust on Shelburne Road. It’s clear to us that people in the neighborhood want to feel safer and have compassion for the homeless people that are being served at Harbor Place. We’ve prepared this letter to demonstrate our commitment to safety for both the neighborhood and the guests at Harbor Place, the steps we’ve taken and additional ones under consideration. Highlights of the letter include:
- Harbor Place served almost 600 households in the first year, and because of its services and mission focus, people were twice as likely to find permanent housing than in the motel voucher program.
- Public safety responses to Harbor Place have decreased by 20% in the first four months of 2015 compared to the same period in 2014.
- Calls are made to the police because we’ve been asked to report criminal activity, and fugitives have been caught because we’ve been vigilant.
- We’ve heard some rumors that we wish to clear up: we are not buying or looking for another motel to replicate Harbor Place, there has been no prostitution, and local realtors have told us that there has been no negative impact on property values.
Again, we understand the safety concerns from the Hullcrest neighborhood and others, and are committed to addressing them as we can. We want to continue to have an open dialogue with the Town residents and officials. As an additional step towards that goal, we are scheduling tours at Harbor Place: Sunday, May 17 at 10am and Tuesday, May 19 at 5:30pm. Space will be limited, so to reserve a spot please email Chris Donnelly, and let me know which date you’ll join. If there is interest, we will schedule additional tours.
UPDATE
We’ve added two more tour dates: Monday, June 1 at 5:30pm, and Saturday, June 6 at 10am. Space is limited, so please email Chris Donnelly if you plan on attending. Thanks!