Chapel Hill residents wary of homeless shelter location

At the last of three community meetings to discuss moving the men’s homeless shelter, students came to lend their support for the relocation.

Conversations have been dominated by those who would be neighbors of the new shelter, who express safety concerns.

But about 10 students who attended the Inter-Faith Council for Social Service’s meeting said misconceptions about homelessness were coloring the conversation unfairly.

“We need to think of how best to serve the homeless rather than thinking of us versus them,” said sophomore Christine Dragonette, former co-chairwoman of the UNC student group Homeless Outreach Poverty Eradication.

A new Community House, which would accommodate 52 homeless men, is likely to be built on the corner of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Homestead Road, in close proximity to several neighborhoods, parks and day cares.

A majority of residents at the meeting felt that the move would increase crime, stating that many homeless people have criminal backgrounds or are suffering from mental illness and substance abuse.

One concerned neighbor asked that tracking ankle bracelets be placed on all men living in the house, which would offer transitional housing to help residents moving toward independent living.

But Dragonette, who said she has worked directly with the homeless, said she has never felt unsafe.

“This move needs to happen because the place now was never intended to be lasting,” she said, referring to the current shelter location on Rosemary Street.

The Inter-Faith Council has been seriously looking for a new permanent site for more than a decade, Associate Director John Dorward said.

UNC would provide the land, which was purchased from an old Duke Energy site.

The University promised 1.66 acres at a 50-year low-cost lease on the condition that Chapel Hill build a facility there, he said.

“The site meets all needs — it was given to us at no cost, it’s already zoned appropriately and it’s relatively easy to build on,” Dorward said.

Many potential neighbors wore red in opposition, saying there was no communication involved in the relocation.

“People are upset because the siting process was not public,” said Rebecca McCulloh, a member of the Inter-Faith Council Board of Directors.

Several residents suggested that monthly meetings be held in which the community would be informed of how the process is being handled.

“We want to have more discussion about the population being served,” said Chris Moran, executive director of the IFC. “Who are these people, and why are we afraid of them?”

Angela MacDonald, a liaison coordinator for the IFC, summed up her view of the residents’ response: “The best way for IFC to be a good neighbor for us is to not be a neighbor at all.”



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