Trustee criticizes shelter plan
Toolbox
By Susan Smallheer STAFF WRITER - Published: December 11, 2009
BELLOWS FALLS – A plan to open a "warming shelter" in downtown Bellows Falls was condemned by a village trustee, who said the new shelter would draw more homeless people to the village.
The Rockingham Planning Commission held a public hearing Wednesday night on the plans by area social service agencies and churches to open a 15-bed Greater Falls Warming Shelter at 24 Canal St.
The shelter would open every evening at 7 p.m., and close every morning at 7 a.m. If approved, the shelter hopes to open as soon as possible, and close around mid-April.
Bellows Falls Village Trustee Stefan Golec spoke strongly against the shelter, questioning the wisdom of placing it in the downtown business district and whether there was a need for such a large shelter.
"Once you build it, they will come," said Golec, who said he was representing the entire Board of Trustees.
Golec said the current system of handling homeless people through the town service officer was more efficient.
Bianca Fernandez, who works for Youth Services, is chairwoman of the building committee, said people were in danger of freezing outside, especially now since the mild fall has finally turned into winter weather.
Fernandez said three families were facing eviction notices and had no place to go, and six youngsters in the area were living in what she called "extremely unsafe situations."
She said she knew of five people living outside in tents.
Southeastern Vermont Community Action has agreed to be the fiscal agent for the new organization, and there will be one staffer for the shelter, someone to coordinate volunteers. The staffer would open and close the shelter every morning and evening, she said, and there would be two trained volunteers at the shelter at all times.
Board members asked Fernandez about the need for the facility, and questioned whether people would come to the Bellows Falls shelter from other towns.
"Do you anticipate an influx of people?" asked Alan Fowler, who owns a downtown business, Village Booksellers.
Chairman Robert DeRusha said the hearing would strictly follow the criteria that the planning commission would consider – impact on municipal services such as parking, police and fire, or lighting or energy use. There were no comments filed by either the Bellows Falls fire or police departments.
But Golec said the shelter would place "an undue burden on services," provided by the village, "particularly police."
"The character of the area will be unfairly affected," he said.
Golec said he also questioned its adequacy to solve the homeless problem in the area, since it would close every day at 7 a.m. – putting people back out on the street.
"It won't be 24 hours … where will they be?" he said, adding that they would probably loiter in area businesses on the days that Our Place, the local drop-in center is not open.
The Rockingham Select Board, which has had its differences with the Village Trustees on a variety of issues, recently earmarked $10,000 toward the creation of the new shelter at the request of Select Board member Ann DiBernardo, who is also the town's service officer.
DeRusha asked Golec for hard information about the impact on police services.
Fernandez had said in Brattleboro, which operates a similar shelter, it had minimal impact on police services and those were only medical emergencies.
"There were no incidences or violence or crime," she said.
Fernandez also said previously that Bellows Falls Village Police Chief Ron Lake had worked closely with the social service agencies while they investigated opening such a shelter.
The planning board adjourned behind closed doors and later announced it had formally closed the hearing.
Ellen Howard, the town's zoning officer, said Thursday she expected a decision to be made public before the required 45 days.
susan.smallheer@rutlandherald.com
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