Benton Project is Approved!
LIMITED NEIGHBORHOOD IMPACT
The renderings shared at public meetings show what looked like any other modern apartment building.
Social services such as case workers, counselling, and life skills classes for formerly justice - involved people can positively impact neighborhood safety.
The proposal website states:
All interim housing participants and visitors check in upon arrival, and staff monitors the surrounding area for loitering. The City and the County are committed to creating a community advisory committee (CAC) that includes neighbors who want to be involved.
The current proposal includes 80 parking spots for residents and staff. Considering many unhoused people do not have a car, this should be plenty.
Unlike dorm-style shelters, which are being phased out, this facility will not have people lining up all day hoping to get a spot. Individual units with locks on the doors give residents dignity and privacy. People will live here for several months, and want to take care of their space.
SOURCES
Do Affordable Housing Projects Harm Suburban Communities? Crime, Property Values, and Taxes in Mount Laurel, NJ
Emergency Calls, Complaints Are Down Near San José's Temporary Housing Sites. So Why Are They Still So Politically Risky?
Navigation Centers: What do Neighbors Have to Fear?
New Study Finds that Providing People Experiencing Homelessness with Housing has Positive Impacts on Health, Crime, and Employment
