The Inter-Faith Council for Social Service has been providing food and emergency housing to the homeless for almost 50 years. In 2008, UNC offered to lease a tract of land to the town for purposes of building the new Community House at 1315 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. In June 2010 we submitted our Special Use Permit application, and we are delighted to report that four town advisory boards have unanimously recommended approval.
The Community Kitchen will not move to the new location. The new facility will operate as a step-up program designed to transition 52 men from homelessness to self-sufficiency. Men enrolled in the program will be required to maintain sobriety and commitment to our philosophy. They will have individual treatment plans based on their specific needs and goals, and will receive job coaching, medical care, mental health services, social services, etc. Our aim is to promote independence and self reliance through a model that empowers residents, develops skills, renews lives, and reduces homelessness.
Also, until the community is able to provide other emergency housing for homeless men, the IFC will provide up to 17 cots on bad weather nights when it is unsafe for homeless persons to sleep outside. Homeless men seeking emergency shelter will be screened off-site and transported to and from the new Community House. Strict no-visitors/no drop-in policies and an 8 p.m. curfew for all residents will be in effect.
The road to 1315 MLK has been difficult. The public search for a suitable and permanent location focused on dozens of properties and took more than 10 years.
The IFC has welcomed all comments and sought dialogue with concerned individuals, neighborhoods and citizens. Last spring we conducted three Community Discussions for this purpose. We listened to community concerns and recommendations and incorporated a number of changes and improvements in the building's design and in the program.
At the suggestion of community residents, we have added on-site recreational facilities, including an exercise room and garden. The men will learn gardening skills and cooking skills as they manage their own kitchen.
The IFC has communicated the clear distinction between transitional housing and emergency shelter. We continue to collaborate with local congregations to assess whether other facilities can be made available for emergency shelter.
Finally, the IFC is preparing a Good Neighbor Plan and will submit it to the Town Manager for approval prior to building the new Community House.
The Community Kitchen will not move to the new location. The new facility will operate as a step-up program designed to transition 52 men from homelessness to self-sufficiency. Men enrolled in the program will be required to maintain sobriety and commitment to our philosophy. They will have individual treatment plans based on their specific needs and goals, and will receive job coaching, medical care, mental health services, social services, etc. Our aim is to promote independence and self reliance through a model that empowers residents, develops skills, renews lives, and reduces homelessness.
Also, until the community is able to provide other emergency housing for homeless men, the IFC will provide up to 17 cots on bad weather nights when it is unsafe for homeless persons to sleep outside. Homeless men seeking emergency shelter will be screened off-site and transported to and from the new Community House. Strict no-visitors/no drop-in policies and an 8 p.m. curfew for all residents will be in effect.
The road to 1315 MLK has been difficult. The public search for a suitable and permanent location focused on dozens of properties and took more than 10 years.
The IFC has welcomed all comments and sought dialogue with concerned individuals, neighborhoods and citizens. Last spring we conducted three Community Discussions for this purpose. We listened to community concerns and recommendations and incorporated a number of changes and improvements in the building's design and in the program.
At the suggestion of community residents, we have added on-site recreational facilities, including an exercise room and garden. The men will learn gardening skills and cooking skills as they manage their own kitchen.
In response to residents' concerns about safety, the Chapel Hill Police Department suggested landscape changes that would provide improved sight lines and better monitoring of activity at Community House and surrounding grounds. The police have also made a commitment to increase patrols and will enforce trespassing violations in Homestead Park after sundown or before dawn.
The IFC has communicated the clear distinction between transitional housing and emergency shelter. We continue to collaborate with local congregations to assess whether other facilities can be made available for emergency shelter.
Finally, the IFC is preparing a Good Neighbor Plan and will submit it to the Town Manager for approval prior to building the new Community House.
The Board of Directors, staff, volunteers, donors and recipients of IFC services look forward to the public hearing on March 21. We are so grateful to our supporters and confident that we will provide even better services for those in need throughout our community if we gain approval for Community House to relocate to 1315 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Herb Paul is president of the IFC Board of Directors.
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