Johnstown City Council to hold workshop on shelter proposal
Sep. 14—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Johnstown officials plan to hold a public workshop regarding the possibility of using federal funds to have Victim Services Inc. operate a non-congregate shelter downtown.
City Council tabled the matter at two previous meetings.
On Wednesday, council members collectively determined that they still did not have enough information to make a decision.
No date was set, but a general plan was agreed upon to invite the public, local state officials and representatives from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which would supply $749,683 through its HOME Investment Partnerships American Rescue Plan Program.
The city earlier put out a request for proposals to find an organization to run a shelter.
Victim Services was selected as the finalist for a plan that would involve relocating its headquarters from Ferndale to a site on Vine Street.
The matter was taken off the table and discussed once again on Wednesday during the regular monthly meeting. Still, council did not feel prepared to make a final decision.
"I honestly couldn't vote tonight if I had to, and I won't, because I don't have enough information, I believe, to make a vote based on what I've heard," Mayor Frank Janakovic said.
Deputy Mayor Michael Capriotti expressed similar concerns, saying: "Until I feel like I have had that information come from the people that actually can answer it, versus a rumor and innuendo, I truly wouldn't be for it either."
About half a dozen people spoke in opposition to the plan during courtesy of the floor, voicing various concerns, including what influence HUD could have over who lived in the shelter and the possibility of bringing more poverty into the city.
Robert Rosage, who identified himself as a person who takes care of Lincoln Lee Manor, located near the proposed Victim Services site, said that there is "an unbelievably safe little corner of Johnstown right there, and we don't want to see that disturbed either."
Victim Services CEO Michael Oliver promoted the work his organization does to provide temporary shelter and services to victims of violence.
"I just think there's a lot of misinformation because there hasn't been any opportunity to talk about it as far as what it is that we do, what element of people would we be housing, how many employees we have, what we would do on that block," Oliver said during courtesy of the floor.
"My argument would be — and I would stand by it — having us down there would make that block safer. We have law enforcement coming throughout the day (at our current site), detectives coming in and out for meetings, cameras on every door, 30 staff coming and going."
A proposal by Councilwoman the Rev. Sylvia King to withdraw the resolution selecting Victim Services was rejected by council.
"I wanted it withdrawn because I think that we need to go back to the drawing board," King said.
Women's Help Center also submitted a proposal to operate a shelter at a different location in the city.
"Part of what our proposal was that we're asking you to reconsider is for that non-congregate shelter component to enable us to be able to serve the people who we actually are currently serving," Women's Help Center Executive Director Roxann Tyger told council. "Although it would be a new facility, the key is it would not be in downtown Johnstown. This is going to be something we're proposing to have in Kernville, about a block from our current shelter facility."
