I'm your West Boise Neighborhood reporter Jessica Davis at Mountain View Church of the Brethern where they're hoping to move forward with that 3-story dormitory, but neighbors surrounding the church have mixed opinions on the project.
- Mountain View Church is proposing a 3-story housing development for up to 100 men on the verge of homelessness.
- The project aims to help men with jobs but facing homelessness, offering housing and additional resources.
- Reactions are mixed on social media, with some residents concerned about the project's impact on the neighborhood.
- Safety measures for the proposed housing includes on-site dorm managers, security cameras, and monthly meetings with an on-site manager.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
"Those that can afford to pay something, that can hold a job, we want to stop their slide into homelessness," said Steve Neighbors.
Steve Neighbors is the administrative pastor at Mountain View Church of the Brethren and after seeing some of his members sliding into homelessness, he and other church leaders decided to act, proposing a project on church property to provide a place for people to live and learn.
Neighbors added, "along with the dorm unit we'll have shop to do basic powderpuff maintenance, we'll have an area to work with blue collar skills."
The three-story housing unit would offer men on the verge on homelessness a place to stay, while accessing other resources and programs to eventually move out on their own.
The West Boise church, near Cole and Ustick, is surrounded by homes and businesses with many nearby neighbors reacting to the proposed housing project on social media.
Some saying, "this is not the neighborhood for this development" while others say they, "think this is awesome and if not our backyard then whose?"
Pastor Neighbors says they've put thought into impacts on surrounding communities, with safety a top priority.
He told me, "There's a dorm manager for each dorm, and that's only two to three people the dorm manager manages. Plus, there's an on-site manager meeting with them each month, there's a pastor here that's deeply involved with a caring heart."
Neighbors says he notified people who live nearby about the project and an upcoming neighborhood meeting.
But, many I talked to said they were hearing about it for the first time, raising questions about how it will be paid for, and how it will impact the area with concerns for safety.
"There will be a lot of security so there'll be on site cameras 24-hour recording, lighted, it's probably going to be the safest place in the city," said Neighbors.
Administrative Pastor Neighbors says the project will cost around seven million dollars.
The church may finance half, to keep rent lower for residents, but they'll need to raise three million dollars to get the project off the ground.
Neighbors added, "It's my hope that there might be some people who want to participate financially in this project and the more they the less we have to borrow and the lower the rents can be."
A neighborhood meeting will be held on Monday September 23 at 6:30 p.m. here at Mountain View Church of the Brethren on North Cole Road.
This is a chance for residents to share their thoughts on the project.
