Pittsfield Planners Continue Homeless Shelter Hearing
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Community Development Board continued a hearing for the second time having to do with the development of a homeless shelter in the United Methodist Church.
With new information from the shelter developers Tuesday, the board agreed to once again to continue, feeling not all their questions were answered.
"We have been presented at a late hour with a great deal of responses. Some answer our questions and some do not," Chairwoman Sheila Irvin said. "We may need to go through this much more carefully so we know what the answers are. We got some answers tonight, but they are somewhat piecemeal."
The proposed shelter at 55 Fenn St. would house 40 beds and replace ServiceNet's current facility Barton's Crossing.
The board members first heard the project last month. At that meeting, they heard concerns from abutters and downtown businesses. They also had some questions of their own
One of Downtown Pittsfield Inc.'s main concerns was that representatives were unable to properly meet with the shelter developers to pose questions and air their concerns. Many business owners specifically felt that a homeless shelter downtown would only deter business.
Tuesday, former DPI president Jesse Cook-Dubin said that since the original hearing, multiple meetings were held between the church, ServiceNet, DPI, and businesses. He said although stakeholders were unable to come to a complete agreement, the conversation was productive.
"Everyone agrees that Pittsfield needs a new homeless shelter that is safe and located nearby the services the homeless population needs," he said. "... Everyone is committed to solving the problem."
He went on to request that the board continue the hearing allowing them time to work with ServiceNet to find a different location. He said DPI wants to help ServiceNet find resources to help achieve this.
Branden Huldeen, current president of DPI, said both the shelter developers and the businesses are part of their membership. He said they understand both perspectives.
"While it may seem that these two groups are at odds with each other, they are both composed of equally valued members of DPI," he said. "They all agree there is a need to provide shelter and services to the local homeless population ... we represent parties on both sides."
He said DPI hopes to help "amplify" voices on both sides of the issue to help find a solution.
Jay Sacchetti, a senior vice president at ServiceNet, did go deeper into the project. He said they chose the Fenn Street location because it was the more affordable option that only needed minor changes to become a fully functioning shelter.
He addressed concerns of loitering and said users really only enter and exit the facility during certain times of the day. Many businesses are closed at these times and users never show up all at once. He said there will be a waiting area in the facility.
Sacchetti said staff will keep an eye on loitering and security cameras could be installed.
He said if a resident or potential resident poses a threat to other residents or staff, they are asked to leave. Substance abuse falls in the same zero-tolerance policy. Smoking is allowed but not wherever or whenever the residents want. He said there are opportunities to explore smoking mitigation such as screening on the property or working with DPI to establish designated smoking areas and noted that smoking downtown is a problem in general.
Residents are monitored and will be asked to leave if they do not meet expectations or build up a list of smaller infractions.
Sacchetti said ServiceNet has a good working relationship with the police and other agencies, and is also open to holding regular meetings with DPI to address future concerns.
Board member Elizabeth Herland said she felt optimistic about the process and the downtown community's willingness to find a solution for the homeless population.
"I think the compassion that we have in our community is remarkable," she said. "Everybody wants to see people sheltered, and I appreciate the spirit of that."
But she would prefer to see a management plan and was concerned about security. She advocated for perhaps installing more cameras.
Sacchetti said there would be cameras around the entire perimeter of the church but anything more would be pushing cameras onto city property. He also felt that because the shelter was not open 24 hours a day, it did not need to be monitored 24 hours a day.
Smoking was another point of contention and board member Floriana FitzGerald felt even with screening, smoke could bother adjacent businesses.
Board of Health member Brad Gordon said options are limited with smoking especially when it comes to smoking inside. He did say he felt it was a good opportunity to address the issue downtown.
"We could have a shared response," Gordon said. "Instead of looking at this as a problem, it could be a solution."
There was a quick consensus among the board members that they were not prepared to make a decision that night.
"We can come to an agreement and a path forward that will work for all parties," board member Gary Levante said. "I think it is possible; we just need a little more time. I am not prepared to vote either way."
Gordon said time is limited and there will be a need for this shelter in the coming months. He specifically feared the end of the state's moratorium on evictions.
"The impact really could be catastrophic," he said. "... It is about the folks that are the most vulnerable that are going to need some resources in the next couple of months."
The board agreed to hold a special meeting in early September.
Tags: homeless,
