BOISE, Idaho — Neighbors are sharing their opinions over some proposed housing in their West Boise neighborhood.
- A proposed housing project on a West Boise church property is receiving mixed reactions from neighbors.
- A community meeting was held to hear from neighbors as well as inform them about the Church's ideas
- Many residents who attended brought up neighborhood safety, the need for another transitional type housing, and how the housing residents will be chosen.
- The project goal aims to provide temporary housing for single men on the verge of homelessness, with support services.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
I'm your West Boise Neighborhood reporter Jessica Davis at Mountain View Church of the Brethren where they're proposing three story dormitory housing for men on the verge of homelessness.
"The issue is that it's in our neighborhood next to our kids that's the issue," says one neighbor.
Mountain View Church of the Brethren hopes to build 3 story dormitory housing for single men on the verge of homelessness.
"I've been living in this neighborhood for 36 years and we're already saturated with halfway houses and sober living homes," says Stacy Rogers, a nearby resident to the proposed housing.
Stacy Rogers was just one of many neighbors who expressed their concerns over this housing. many topics revolving around safety, finances, and how they're going to choose the residents.
One neighbor saying, "Where are they coming from are they coming from prison, streets, where are they coming from?"
Another asks, "Are you supervising them when they're out on the streets with our kids and our grandkids?"
"You said these are ex-offenders in whatever area, how long is the ex in front of that," says one neighbor.
Steve Neighbors, administrative pastor of the church says the building will be housing recovering addicts and alcoholics. When asked the question if ex-sex offenders would be able to reside neighbors, he says maybe.
In the meeting administrative pastor Steve Neighbors says, "We have a screening process where we reject those that have any inclination," Neighbors was interrupted by one neighbor in the crowd who asked, "so is it a yes or no?"
Neighbors says, "What do you mean? "
The neighbor continues asking, "Are you going to allow sex offenders or not? Yes or no?"
Neighbor's answers with, "It depends."
Stacy Rogers says, "I have two young children, and they ask me all the time when can they ride their bikes to school and I won't allow it they aren't even allowed to leave our cul-de-sac without an adult out front."
Along with safety, the big question was why? Why this neighborhood?
"Why hasn't this area been notified? We are full up on drug addicts, alcoholics, all the likes," says one neighbor.
Another resident in the crowd suggesting a different location, saying, "neighbors don't want it find a different location and work with the existing infrastructure."
Stacy Rogers says, "My second reaction was not in my neighborhood and others will say well then where? And I'd like to see them take this on in their neighborhood where we already have this amount of homelessness, sex offenders, and addiction issues."
Many residents who attended say they're going to the city about the project to express why they think it's not needed in their area.
We reached out to the City of Boise on the next steps after this community meeting, they tell me that an interdepartmental review meeting will need to be held before the church can even submit an application for the proposed housing.
