THE
THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN BOISE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IS ON THE
RISE IN BOISE.
THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS
WHEN YOU HAVE A
PANDEMIC THAT SEVERELY
IMPACTS
EMPLOYMENT...AND A
POPULATION BOOM THAT
HAS BLOWN UP THE COST
OF LIVING.
IT HAS LEAD TO A LACK
OF SPACE IN AT LEAST ONE
OF THE CITY'S SHELTERS.
INTERFAITH SANCTUARY
SAYS THEY NEED A BETTER
AND BIGGER LOCATION.
SO THEY ARE WORKING
TOWARDS CLOSING A
DEAL ON A BUILDING
ALONG STATE
STREET...WEST OF
VETERAN'S PARKWAY.
RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF
THE VETERAN'S PARK
NEIGHBORHOOD.
WE SPOKE WITH JODI
STIGERS...THE EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR OF INTERFAITH
SANCTUARY EARLIER THIS
WEEK.
AND BELIEVE ME WHEN I
SAY WE HEARD FROM A
LOT OF PEOPLE...ANGRY
WE WERE ONLY TELLING
ONE SIDE OF THE STORY.
WE TRIED THAT DAY TO
HEAR FROM THOSE WHO
OPPOSE THE SHELTER
MOVING INTO THE AREA.
BUT THEY WEREN'T
READY.
THE BEAUTY OF THE 208
IS SOMETIMES WE CAN
TELL A STORY OVER
SEVERAL DAYS.
THE VETERAN'S PARK
NEIGHBORHOOD
ASSOCIATION SPOKE WITH
US TODAY.
THE VICE
PRESIDENT...KATY
DECKER...TOLD US THEY
HAVE TAKEN A STANCE TO
OPPOSE THE RELOCATION
OF INTERFAITH
SANCTUARY TO THEIR
NEIGHBORHOOD BASED
ON A RESIDENT SURVEY
THEY COMPLETED LAST
WEEK.
OUT OF THE 21-HUNDRED
RESIDENTS COVERED BY
THE ASSOCIATION...THEY
GOT 88 RESPONSES TO
THE 2-QUESTION, YES-
OR-NO SURVEY SHE SAID.
97-PERCENT OF THEM
WERE OPPOSED TO THE
SHELTER MOVING IN.
A LOT OF EMAILS AND A
PETITION CIRCULATING
THE NEIGHBORHOOD
BACK UP THAT
STANCE...KATY DECKER
TOLD US.
ALSO BACKING UP THEIR
OPPOSITION...SHE CITED
STUDIES FOUND ON THE
HOUSING AND URBAN
DEVELOPMENT WEBSITE.
KATY DECKER TOLD US
THEY BROUGHT THOSE
CONCERNS TO A VIRTUAL
INFORMATIONAL MEETING
HOSTED BY INTERFAITH
SANCTUARY ON JANUARY
27TH...BUT THEY DON'T
FEEL LIKE THOSE ISSUES
LEFT MUCH OF AN
IMPACT.
IMPACT.
WE
WE REALLY
WE REALLY GOT THE IMPRESSION THAT WHILE INTERFAITH IS LOOKING
OUT FOR THEIR
MISSION...THEY WERE NOT
LOOKING AT WHAT
IMPACT THEY COULD HAVE
ON THE COMMUNITY
THEY WOULD BE MOVING
INTO
WHAT ARE THE PRIMARY
CONCERNS THAT ARE
BEING EXPRESSED
AGAINST THIS SHELTER
MOVING INTO THE
NEIGHBORHOOD?
ONE OF THE MAJOR
CONCERNS IS THE SOCIAL
JUSTICE AND ECONOMIC
JUSTICE THAT THIS MOVE
OBVIOUSLY INCURS
THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT
MOVING A 300 BED
SHELTER INTO ONE OF THE
POOREST
NEGIHBORHOODS IN
BOISE WE ALREADY HAVE
PARTS
PARTS OF
PARTS OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD WITH 25 PERCENT POVERTY AND
STUDIES
SUGGEST...LEADING TO
NEGATIVE OUTCOMES ON
THE POPULATION
THE STUDY INDICATES
THAT NEGATIVE
OUTCOMES FOR THE
RESIDENTS...INCREASE
WHEN THE POVERTY LEVEL
IS BETWEEN 20 PERCENT
AND 40
PERCENT...NEGATIVE
OUTCOMES BEING
WHAT...THESE LIFE
INDICATORS,,,BY LIVING IN
POVERTY AND THE
HIGHER NEGATIVE IMPACT
IS SEEN IN NEIGHBORS
WITH HIGHER POVERTY
RATES
RATES
RATES ONE
RATES ONE THING THAT WE HEARD FROM JODI WAS,
THAT A LOT OF THE TALK,
SHE USED THE PHRASE
DARK...THERE'S A LOT OF
NEGATIVE COMMENTS
ABOUT THE STEREOTYPES
THAT COME ALONG WITH
BEING HOMELESS AND
HOMELESS SHELTERS
DO YOU FEEL LIKE THAT'S
BEEN HE CASE?
THAT COMMENT HURT
OUR NEIGHBORS AS
WELL...FROM A PLACE OF
UNFAMILIARITY...BUT OUR
NEIGHBORS INCLUDE
PEOPLE WHO
WORK...PEOPLE WHO
HAVE BEEN HOMELESS...A
RESIDENTIAL
NEIGHBORHOOD LIKE THIS
IS NOT A GOOD PLACE
FOR
FOR THE
FOR THE SHELTER IT'S ALWAYS A QUESTION OF NOT IN MY BACKYARD
WHERE
WHERE IS
WHERE IS A SHELTER SUPPOSED TO GO WHEN THEY NEED MORE SPACE
BUT NOBODY WANTS
THEM IN THEIR
NEIGHBORHOOD?
WE THINK THAT
COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS
AND INDUSTRIAL
DISTRICTS ARE A MUCH
BETTER CHOICE THAN ANY
RESIDENTIAL
NEGIHBORHOOD
RESIDENTIAL NEGIHBORHOOD ESPECIALLY A RESIDENTIAL
NEIGHBORHOOD THAT IS
ALREADY SEEING HIGH
LEVELS OF POVERTY
THE CURRENT LOCATION
HAS SORT FOA BUFFER OF
COMMCERICAL
PROPERTIES..IMMEDIATELY
COMMCERICAL PROPERTIES..IMMEDIATELY ALONG THE BACK
FENCE...IMMEDIATELY
ADJACENT TO IT
I THINK THAT INTERFAITH
THE
THE BOARD
THE BOARD HAS A REAL OPPORTUNITY HERE TO MAKE A RESPONSIBLE
DECISION IN LOCATING
THE SHELTER AND
FINDING A SPACE WHERE
THEY CAN RAISE THEIR
COMMUNITY UP WHILE
NOT CREATING NEGATIVE
IMPACTS ON
SURROUNDING AREAS
SURROUNDING AREAS
PROPERTY
PROPERTY VALUES IS A COMMON OUTCRY WHEN IT COMES TO SHELTERS
MOVING INTO A
NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND THAT DEPENDS ON A
LOT OF FACTORS.
THE IDAHO STATE
JOURNAL IN 2018 LOOKED
INTO PROPERTY VALUES
SURROUNDING A 24-UNIT
HOMELESS SHELTER IN
POCATELLO.
THEY FOUND HOUSES
CLOSEST TO IT WERE
ASSESSED AT $10,000 TO
$15,000 HIGHER THAN
FIVE TO 10 BLOCKS
FURTHER WAY.
BUT THAT POLICE
RESPONDED TO THE AREA
ON AVERAGE THREE TIMES
A WEEK FOR THINGS LIKE
LOITERING, VANDALISM,
TRESPASSING AND DRUG
OFFENSES.
WHICH BRINGS US TO
ANOTHER ISSUE BROUGHT
UP BY THE VETERAN'S
PARK NEIGHBORHOOD
ASSOCIATION.
THE CRIME RATE THAT
COMES WITH A HOMELESS
SHELTER...STATING
STATISTICS THAT CRIME
GOES UP IN THE
IMMEDIATE AREA AROUND
A SHELTER.
THERE ARE A FEW
STUDIES OUT THERE
ABOUT THAT...AND THEY
NOTE THAT CRIME
DOESN'T ALWAYS
INCREASE IN AREAS OF
HOMELESS SHELTERS AND,
IN SOME CASES, IT
DECREASES...WITH PEOPLE
GETTING OFF THE STREET
MAKING IT LESS LIKELY
THEY WILL COMMIT A
CRIME TO STAY ALIVE.
HERE IN BOISE...
IN A YEAR OVER YEAR
COMPARISON...THERE
WERE FOUR AREAS THAT
SAW AT LEAST A 5-
PERCENT INCREASE IN
CALLS BETWEEN 2019 AND
2020....AROUND THE
COOPER COURT
AREA...WHERE INTERFAITH
SANCTUARY IS NOW.
ILLEGAL
PARKING...PROPERTY
ILLEGAL PARKING...PROPERTY CHECK, CHECK FOR A
SLEEPER, AND
COMMUNITY
POLICING...WHICH WAS
NEARLY 60-PERCENT
COMPARED TO THE REST
OF THE CITY.
THE MOST COMMON
CALL TO THE COOPER
COURT AREA...DRUGS.
BETWEEN SIX AND 10-
PERCENT OF BOISE POLICE
DRUG CALLS WERE TO THE
AREA AROUND
INTERFAITH SANCTUARY
IN 2019.
BATTERY CHARGES...THERE
WERE 45 OUT OF THE
CITY'S 1783.
VIOLENT CRIMES...WERE
LESS THAN 1 PERCENT
COMPARED TO THE REST
OF THE CITY.
WE'VE GOT THE COMPLETE
BREAKDOWN OF CRIMES
RIGHT
RIGHT NOW