Family Shelter Forum

An on-line community forum to register concerns, questions, and suggestions for guarantees to be made by Philadelphia officials and contractors with respect to the proposed family homeless shelter at 46th & Chestnut Streets.

To contribute to the discussion, click on the link at the end of the list for each section; to return to this page after submitting your inputs, close the "comments" window or click on the words "Family Shelter Forum" at the top of the form.

Contributions to this forum will be used as starting points for a series of community meetings to be held by established as well as ad hoc neighborhood organizations. The process is intended to yield answers to questions as well as a basis for negotiations with city officials — hopefully leading to a facility that will equitably balance public and private interests.

Questions for city & shelter officials

An unfortunate breakdown in communications between city officials and the community has left many residents with questions about the proposed shelter. Please submit any questions you may have, so they can be presented to appropriate people or agencies for answers.

How many families will the shelter serve?

How many of the children are expected to be pre-school, school-age, and teen-agers?

How many staff members will drive to work and need parking spaces? Also, will any of the homeless families need parking?

Will there be a curfew for shelter residents, and what happens if they break curfew?

During the tour of the Woodstock Shelter arranged by Mrs Blackwell, the Director -- Mr Burns -- mentioned a Philadelphia "shelter standard" that gave details about how these places operate. How can community representatives get a copy of this document?

Why can't this space (4508 Chestnut) used fro a positive inpact to the already existing community instead of importing homeless folks from all over the city? My neighbors and I would prefer a community center (with dedicated space for seniors and youth activities) be in that space. Or have the building torn down and replaced with some viable retail space.

If the University wants this space for an old folks center (which wouldn't negatively hurt our neighborhood) why should the community consider a homeless shelter which will hurt it (to an unknown degree)?

Why is the organization that will run the shelter getting such a sweetheart deal on the building's rent?

We should be a little more compassionate for people that are homeless. With West Catholic High School, University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University so close to this proposed shelter, we could have our students mentor and tutor some of these children. It would show why this neighborhood historically has helped so many citizens. We care about people!

I've heard that the Lutheran Settlement people have been asked by Jannie Blackwell not to speak directly to the community about this. Why not?

If it's a shelter, how many people (including staff) will be in that building during the day, and how many at night?

If the building is used as a shelter, what details have been decided and what is still "on the table?"

Is it certain that that, despite the vague wording of the Bill introduced by Mrs Blackwell, the proposal is for a shelter for women with children and this will be the use as long as the lease is in effect, and that it won't be changed to some other kind of homeless facility?

What assurances can we have that people won't be hanging around this building either because they're trying to get in or trying to contact people who are inside?

If other shelters in the city get closed, will this facility get the people? Who's to see to it that the city keeps the promises it makes to us?

The city added 1,000 beds at two locations for the Hurricane Katrina emergency and under 200 have been used. Can those two facilities be used for the family shelter instead of 4508 Chestnut?

If some of the homeless families can be accommodated at the Wanamaker and Palumbo buildings that were prepared for the Hurrican Katrina refugees, would it be possible for Lutheran Services just to move back into the facilities at Christ Memorial where they cared for a more managable number of people?

What happened to the pink cards we submitted with questions at the meeting at West Philly High?

I heard that Penn said in the papers that it was interested but wouldn't make an offer unless Councilwoman Blackwell gave the OK. Is this true?

We don't know what Penn has in mind. How can we find out so we can think about both ideas and decide which we like better?

Does Mrs Blackwell know about the houses being rehabbed on the 4500 block of Sansom Street. I've heard that if the developers couldn't get more than $300,000 for them, they couldn't afford to do the renovation so they'd probably still be boarded up. And if a homeless shelter means they can't sell them for this kind of money, will the rest of the vacant houses on the street just sit there and get worse?

Why hasn't Mrs Blackwell offered to meet with the Sansom Street Coalition? We're the people who are affected most directly, and she knows how to contact us.

How will the people going into the shelter be screened? Is it really possible to screen them?

Every day, when families leave the shelter, where will they go? Is there a structured plan for them -- and is it monitored or followed-up? Or do they just wander around the neighborhood and the city, fitting in wherever they feel comfortable and accepted? Are they looking for jobs?

Isn't this trying to solve one pressing problem but ignoring others -- such as drugs and prostitution?

Why not some kind of "prevention center?"

How about something like a charter school for children? This would be better than a shelter for misfits with nothing better to do than create problems for our community.

How about a community center that everyone can use?

Would it be possible to limit residents to families with children 12 years of age and under? It's the teen-agers I'm worried about.

I am an operator of a business in West Philadephia and I totally support the Family shelter. I think it is our duty to support such an endeavor. Let's face it, people are concerned about property values and not peoples health and well being. I think business and social concerns can work hand-in-hand. Charles Dicken would have a lot to write about in West Philadelphia.

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Suggestions for legally binding covenant

City officials have offered to sign a legally binding agreement or covenant with the community regarding the operation of the shelter, including means to ensure that issues are addressed on an ongoing basis the safeguards to be provided against possible negative effects on the area. Please indicate your suggestions for items you believe are appropriate for such a covenant.

Establish an advisory board which meets regularly, and has members selected by the community and not by the operators of the shelter or the city government.

Make access to the day care facilities at the shelter available to some mutually-agreeable number of people in the neighborhood, and that the selection or admission process be fair to all.

Guarantee that the facility won't start as a shelter for homeless families (women and children) then be converted to something for the general homeless population later.

Guarantee that there will be no more than some mutually-agreeable number of residents (such as 250).

Provide a direct phone number that will be answere by a responsible person around the clock, in case anyone in the community wants to report a problem -- or make a contact for any other reason.

Let local residents, especially senior citizens, attend computer literacy and other adult learning classes projected to be held at this shelter.

I believe a legally binding agreement should state that only the Lutheran Settlement Agency should manage the shelter for women and children. According to all reports they have a good track record with the shelter they ran in the Christ Memorial Church. If this group pulls out before their lease runs out, the shelter should be closed.

My fear is that if another group takes over the shelter, it may use it for adult males with drug and mental problems, and with a large number of residents would become a neighborhood hazard.

I would like to see any legally binding agreement limit the number of beds to a much lower number. Thirty seems to be one that would maximize benefit to the homeless and minimize the negative impact on the neighborhood.

I would like to see the advisory committee have a method of selection that is in the control of the community. It should also have the authority to close the facility if it violates the agreement or the law.

I would like to see the developer and/or the city make available to the community a letter of credit to finance a legal fight if the facility violates the agreement or the law.

I would like to see protesters citing negative impact on the neighborhood show some evidence of it. Does anyone have a study supporting their position? All the studies that I have seen says that homeless shelters for families do not negatively impact the community. In fact, they help to stabilize them. I believe that any claim/assertion without supporting evidence is baseless, and should be disregarded.

Powelton had a Convenant with Drexel. Drexel decided to declare it null and void and the Councilwoman supported their actions.

We need a guarantee that there won't be males with drug problems or mental disabilities.

I think it would be a good idea if the school-age children in the shelter could go to the Alexander School because the teaching there is better and they don't have unruly kids causing problems. So they should extend the "catchment" area to include the shelter building at 46th and Chestnut, which would also mean people living from the north side of Sansom to the south side (or both sides) of Chestnut, all the way to 46th St, could also send their children there too.

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Concerns needing to be addressed

Some residents have expressed concerns about possible impacts the proposed shelter may have on themselves or their friends and neighbors. Please list any such concerns you may have.

Will having a shelter at 46th & Chestnut discourage the kinds of people who have been rehabbing buildings in the 4400 and 4500 blocks of Sansom Street?

Will having homeless people in the area scare people away from sending their children to West Catholic?

I heard that the best number of people for a homeless shelter is under about 30 or 40. Can the number of residents proposed for this shelter be cared for and counseled properly?

The amount that the city is said to be paying the owner of the building is very high. It's almost as much per year as he paid to buy the building. Isn't this a waste of taxpayers' money? And, can't the city find a good place that would cost less, so it would have the money left over to spend on the actual programs?

Everyone seems to have good things to say about the way Lutheran Settlement ran the shelter at 43rd and Ludlow. I am concerned that this operation may be beyond their ability to handle.

I'm worried that some of the fathers of the children in the shelter might come around and make trouble that spills over into the neighborhood.

Will we turn our backs on people that really need our help?

I'm worried that this neighborhood is not as Liberal as it used to be. Some of my neighbors are starting to sound like Republicans.

A shelter for 340 people is totally unmanageable. I speak from 20 years experience.

The population density in this neighborhood is at total saturation. Adding this number of people warehoused in a single place, plus the staff involved would make the area unliveable and discourage individual home ownership, which, in fact, stabilizes a neighborhood.

A shelter for <200> people is totally manageable.

The population density in this neighborhood is at total saturation. Adding this number of people without them living in high end condos or expensive apartments in a single place, plus the retail staff that will work in the building would make the area unliveable and discourage individual home ownership, which, in fact, stabilizes a neighborhood.

It might scare parents from sending their children to West Catholic. They could be worried about what kind of people will be put in the shelter.

I'm concerned that the shelter will bring drugs back into the neighborhood.

People will be afraid to fix up buildings behind the shelter on Sansom Street because the homeless will come and tear them down.

I'm afraid that this will bring back drugs and guns.

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Other comments you think are relevant to the discussion

Please make any other comments you believe may be relevant to the discussion — for or against, with a brief explanation of your reasons if appropriate.

Although University City has a number of homeless shelters already, the majority are for small groups in typical row and twin houses, and none have the degree of supervision or provide as much support as the plans suggest this will have.

The tour of the Woodstock shelter near Temple University convinced me that this won't hurt our neighborhood and could even help it.

I don't see how a homeless shelter in that building would be a detriment to people who wanted to fix up properties behind it on Sansom Street, any more than any other "institutional" use of the same property.

Some people seem to be angry over the idea that the company that bought the building got it at a good price (maybe nobody else wanted to take a chance on it, or the bidding would have gone much higher), and can get a good rent from the city for it as a shelter. If the welfare people in the city government think it's worth paying $75,000 per month to lease the place, maybe it is. Does anybody know what the city pays for rent at that Shelter in North Philly where there was a tour?

Is this building really set up for the intended use? Two families sharing a lavatory with a sink and toilet, with shower facilities shared by everyone, doesn't seem like enough.

The Bill as approved so far is too vague. Supposedly, consideration by City Council as a whole has been postponed so it can be modified. But I'd like to see it withdrawn and something entirely new written based on the community meetings, questionnaires, and other inputs.

We think we should have a say about who comes into the community, especially if its our elected officials who are bringing them.

Lots of people who live or have businesses here are very upset. We'd rather have a facility for seniors than for people who might bring the kinds of problems associated with homelessness.

This area got a lot better in the past few years. The drugs and the dhootings are gone. We're all getting a better quality of life now. Not just new people with money but a lot of us who struggled through the bad times, and some of us are low-income people. And not just owners but renters, too.

Councilwoman Blackwell knows that the community objects to this project. So all these meetings and other things are disingenuous. This is what she wants to do and will get it done.

The meeting at West Philadelphia High wasn't about community input. It was about "them" saying what they wanted us to hear.

I'm a new owner on the 4400 block of Sansom Street. And I wouldn't have bought the house there if I had any idea that 4508 Chestnut might become a homeless shelter.

The owner of the building will be getting a lot of rent for the building. And he contributed to Mayor Street's and Mrs Blackwell's campaigns. Is this pay-to-play?

This neighborhood is very diverse. Low income people have lived here for a long time and nobody's trying to get rid of them. And some high income people have been buying houses and don't seem to be worried about renters, low income neighbors, or subsidized residents run by Travelers' Aid. But attracting homeless people could hurt everybody and wipe out the progress we've made in reducing crime and violence here.

I am concerned that the promoters of the shelter are encouraging the neighborhood to put our concerns on the table, where they can be criticized and disparaged, while keeping their agenda secret.

Is there any web site, mailing list, official statement, or other source where we can learn more about the position of the city & shelter officials, in writing? Or is there any forum where we can engage in a dialogue with city & shelter officials?

Fixing collapsed houses needs developers, and fixing collapsed 19th century brick houses needs developers who can invest a fair bit of cash. Those developers need to expect good prices, and it's hard to sell expensive houses next to a homeless shelter.

We do not want a homeless shelter in our area.

It would be better to tear the building down and build some stores.

A center that services seniors would be better.

Drug activity and guys hanging around the corner are gone. The streets have been cleaned up. We want it to stay that way.

Homeless people got put in the seniors' building at 40th Street and the place went to the dogs. I had friends there who were afraid to go out of their apartments or get in the elevators. So they moved out.

I would like to see something that benefits the people who already reside in the community. Everybody, be they black, white, old, young!

I agree with the shelter. It will help people get back on their feet.

If a shelter is the bet thing they can think of, maybe the building should be torn down. Nice stores would be good. We need places to shop.

Let's have a senior center, not a homeless shelter.

It appears to me that city officials have already made up their minds about what this community needs, even though we don't want it.

We already have a lot of shelters in this neighborhood.

I hope this process has opened the eyes of all involve regarding Trust, Respect and Communication.
As a Community we need to be able to Trust those in authority. The Council Ordinance being introduced with no community input was not correct. City officials have been most interested in pursing their own Agenda's not those in the local Community.
Respect for your neighbors and the backyards and streets you will be affecting.
Communication with the people who trust and respect you.

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