BOISE, Idaho — This huge building off State Street in West Boise was going to be the future home of the new Interfaith Sanctuary until a ruling this week from the Idaho Supreme Court. I'm your neighborhood reporter, Jessica Davis, and neighbors here are happy to hear that plans are officially put on pause.
“So many of our residents have been writing to me with an overwhelming sense of relief,” said Katy Decker, president of the Veterans Park Neighborhood Association.
She joins neighbors in celebrating the court's decision, expressing concerns about how the shelter would have impacted her neighborhood. “It's too much to ask one neighborhood to bear the weight of the societal problem,” she said.
“They didn't present any way to deal with the overflow,” Decker continued.
“We thought they could end up camping in our neighborhood and kind of relocating the problems that homelessness brings from downtown to our small residential neighborhood.”
We reached out to Interfaith Sanctuary's executive director, Jodi Peterson-Stigers, who was disappointed by the ruling.
She says they intend to challenge the court's decision and petition for a new hearing.
The new location was projected to open this fall, with space to house at least 200 residents.
We previewed the project last spring. Back in April of 2024, Stigers said, “This is all about welcoming and giving them the ability to have hopes and dreams again.”
And although it appears those hopes and dreams are halted until further notice, construction was still in full swing when I stopped by the project site.
I wanted to know how the city felt about the court's decision to overrule their decision. Boise officials tell me their legal team is reviewing the court's ruling.
City officials haven't had a chance yet to discuss next steps.
But the Veterans Park neighborhood is happy with where things stand now.
“This population who has dedicated their lives to these very compassionate careers and people are working with the population that Interfaith serves on a daily basis, they're the ones telling me this doesn't belong in a residential neighborhood. This isn't a viable solution to the homelessness problem,” Decker said.
Stay with Idaho News 6 on air and online as this story continues to develop.
