CHAPEL HILL -- The permit application for a new men's homeless shelter in northern Chapel Hill was released Wednesday, outlining plans that have concerned neighbors of the proposed site.
The Inter-Faith Council's Community House men's transitional housing facility would hold up to 52 homeless men. The town has scheduled a public hearing on the plan for the fall.
Some neighbors of the proposed site on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard off Homestead Road worry that the shelter could attract crime. They say the site does not include enough of a buffer between the shelter and their homes and is too close to other social services, including a women's shelter and a substance-abuse recovery center.
"It's like a trifecta, [it's] just this small portion of Chapel Hill that's responsible for it," neighbor Lisa Ostrom said.
Ostrom and others say the search for a new shelter should have been public.
"We expect a higher degree of public process because it's our money," she said.
IFC director Chris Moran disputes the criticism and said the organization is not a public entity, and is therefore not required to undergo a public siting process.
While both sides trade accusations, homeless residents of the current Community House in downtown Chapel Hill say much of the debate stems from a lack of understanding.
Shelter resident Mike Wood, who has struggled with alcohol abuse and is taking classes to become a counselor, said if more people knew what was going on at Community House, public perception of the program might be different.
"Most of us are looking to get ahead," Wood said.
