Salem City Council moves forward with microshelter village on Center Street
Salem City Council voted unanimously Monday to affirm its decision to create a microshelter village for the homeless downtown.
The decision was back before Salem City Council after a legal complaint and court intervention stopped then restarted all prep work on the location. The council first approved creating a village at 1280 Center Street NE across from Safeway in February.
Microshelters give occupants a location to secure their belongings and a safe, warm place to sleep. Advocates say this allows people experiencing homelessness to stabilize, get treatment and connect to more permanent housing solutions.
Trash services, meals, showers, portable toilets and connection to health services are provided on-site. The villages are staffed 24 hours a day and have security.
The microshelter buildings already are funded. A community effort has raised more than $770,000 in donations — enough for at least 154 shelters. Despite having enough funds, the city has struggled to find land to host the villages.
After the city selected the Center Street site, Riches Property Management, Inc., the owner of the nearby Forum Apartments at 350 13th St. NE, filed a petition with Marion County Circuit Court.
In the petition, the attorney for the property management company, which is owned by John Riches, said they objected to using the site as a microshelter location, citing concerns about criminal activity, foot traffic and public health risks.
The legal action stopped all preparation work on the site for more than a month. The city was able to resume prep work, but not open the site, after getting the court's approval.
More:Work begins on new Salem microshelter location despite ongoing legal challenge
On June 8, Judge Thomas Hart remanded the issue back to the council and ordered them to make a decision after reviewing evidence on whether the site will present an "unreasonable risk to health and safety." The order specifically asks the council to consider:
How the site will impact foot traffic approaching the site and in the immediate surrounding areas.
How the site will impact vehicular traffic approaching the location.
How the village will interact with the police to ensure any additional foot and vehicular traffic to the site will not exacerbate criminal activity.
How any such exacerbation or impact will be mitigated by police or security response.
Whether and how the village will attract unmanaged encampments and how that can be stopped.
How management will maintain the sobriety and the mental health treatment compliance of its residents.
How management will address criminal activity engaged in by its residents.
In a report, city staff recommended re-affirming the decision to create a microshelter village on Center Street and said they provided substantial evidence that the village will not create an unreasonable risk to public health and safety.
Evidence includes reports that the site will not substantially increase foot traffic, will be a closed campus and will only provide services to residents. The city said it plans to address any unmanaged camping concerns if they do occur.
A memo from the city's Public Works Department said the village is not expected to have a significant impact on vehicular traffic.
Staff said the two existing camps have not reported an increase in crime or neighbor complaints.
A Salem police and city manager memorandum said there is not expected to be a significant increase in crime rates attributable to the village and increased patrols would be added to mitigate any increase in crime.
In a memo to city council, Salem police Lt. Debbie Aguilar noted the neighborhood already faces complaints related to homeless individuals.
"At the outset, it should be noted that the neighborhood around the proposed 1280 Center Street location has historically experienced the presence of unsheltered individuals," she said. "The Safeway market located across the street, the McDonalds at the intersection of Capitol and Center Street, and areas along Mill Creek near Center Street are a few locations where the unsheltered have frequented."
Church at the Park, a nonprofit that will manage the village, said residents will receive wrap-around services addressing mental health, addiction and recovery, and housing. Village residents will be required to comply with a code of conduct, addressing potential behavioral issues and are prohibited from possessing alcohol or drugs on site.
Aguilar said in her memo that Church at the Park has managed microshelter villages to ensure the safety of the clients living at the village and in the surrounding neighborhoods.
"Church at the Park has been used at other sites and will continue to use the Center Street location, a site management plan that has proven successful thus far," she said.
Zachary Dablow, attorney for Riches Property Management, questioned during the Monday meeting whether drug and alcohol bans would actually be enforced and whether the city would follow through on assurances of swift response to criminal complaints and unmanaged camping.
DJ Vincent, the founding pastor with Church at the Park, said about a hundred people who have stayed in microshelters have moved out in the past year. More than 50% of them moved on to more positive, permanent destinations. Hundreds are on the waitlist.
More:$600K donated. Homeless now wait for city of Salem to find land for micro shelters
For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodworth@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-910-6616 or follow on Twitter @wmwoodworth
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Salem moves forward with Center Street microshelter village
