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On Jan. 18, officials from the Sussex Community Crisis Housing Services found themselves rejoicing in the Georgetown Planning Commission’s decision to approve a request for a conditional use permit that would allow the facility to replace existing buildings on their property with new, energy-efficient buildings.
SCCHS has been in Georgetown providing shelter and supportive services to homeless invididuals since 1981. According to the mission statement found on the SCCHS website, the agency “promotes independence, housing stability, and financial security.”
However, at the Jan. 25 Georgetown Town Council meeting, the council voted to override the Planning Commission’s decision.
Mayor Brian Pettyjohn and members of the council cited various reasons for overriding the Planning Commission’s decision.
“First of all, it wasn’t an overwhelming approval by the Planning Commission,” Pettyjohn said. “There were a lot of public comments in opposition. We have complaints from neighbors that some of the occupants were verbally harassing people and were concened about the type of people who’d be living in a part of town we are trying to improve.”
According to Pettyjohn, the Police were asked by SCCHS to conduct 386 background checks from 2010 to 2011. Of those background checks, it was noted that more than 74 percent had criminal histories and more than 75 percent were from out-of-town. Inmates directly released by the Department of Corrections accounted for more than 16 percent of the background checks while more than 25 percent had no criminal histories whatsoever.
“The executive director of Crisis House said that the people are screened for sex offenses and violent offenders but they just do a check for active warrants and sex offenders,” Pettyjohn said.
Susan Starrett, with the Homeless Planning Council sees the decision to deny the application as denying the ability of the only family shelter in Sussex County to ensure safe, adequate living for our most vulnerably homeless who are our families”
“I think the challenge we face regardless of the situation is that people don’t always feel that housing is a right for everyone,” Starrett said. “We are trying to provide that very bottom safety net for our citizens.”
However, while Pettyjohn does not want to see an increase in homelessness, he said that the council does not think it is appropriate to have more of this type of facility.
“We have more than our fair share,” Pettyjohn said. “We don’t have a good grasp on the numbers but we think we have about three times the amount of shelters we need in Georgetown.”
On Jan. 18, officials from the Sussex Community Crisis Housing Services found themselves rejoicing in the Georgetown Planning Commission’s decision to approve a request for a conditional use permit that would allow the facility to replace existing buildings on their property with new, energy-efficient buildings.
SCCHS has been in Georgetown providing shelter and supportive services to homeless invididuals since 1981. According to the mission statement found on the SCCHS website, the agency “promotes independence, housing stability, and financial security.”
However, at the Jan. 25 Georgetown Town Council meeting, the council voted to override the Planning Commission’s decision.
Mayor Brian Pettyjohn and members of the council cited various reasons for overriding the Planning Commission’s decision.
“First of all, it wasn’t an overwhelming approval by the Planning Commission,” Pettyjohn said. “There were a lot of public comments in opposition. We have complaints from neighbors that some of the occupants were verbally harassing people and were concened about the type of people who’d be living in a part of town we are trying to improve.”
According to Pettyjohn, the Police were asked by SCCHS to conduct 386 background checks from 2010 to 2011. Of those background checks, it was noted that more than 74 percent had criminal histories and more than 75 percent were from out-of-town. Inmates directly released by the Department of Corrections accounted for more than 16 percent of the background checks while more than 25 percent had no criminal histories whatsoever.
“The executive director of Crisis House said that the people are screened for sex offenses and violent offenders but they just do a check for active warrants and sex offenders,” Pettyjohn said.
Susan Starrett, with the Homeless Planning Council sees the decision to deny the application as denying the ability of the only family shelter in Sussex County to ensure safe, adequate living for our most vulnerably homeless who are our families”
“I think the challenge we face regardless of the situation is that people don’t always feel that housing is a right for everyone,” Starrett said. “We are trying to provide that very bottom safety net for our citizens.”
However, while Pettyjohn does not want to see an increase in homelessness, he said that the council does not think it is appropriate to have more of this type of facility.
“We have more than our fair share,” Pettyjohn said. “We don’t have a good grasp on the numbers but we think we have about three times the amount of shelters we need in Georgetown.”
Ken Smith of the Delaware Housing Coalition would like to hear more discussion about the housing needs in Sussex County.
“I’d invite, in fact I’d urge the town council to engage in a dialogue with some of us about what the true affordable housing needs are in Sussex County and the Georgetown area,” Smith said. “ I also think that it would be hard to find a more reasonable request than the one that the Sussex Community Crisis Housing Center is making. They want to consolidate, modernize, and actually replace their shelter that’s in a more prominent place near the train station and give home ownership opportunities. It seems like a net gain for the entire community”
SCCHS Director Marie Morole, said she was dumfounded as to why the council was so adamantly against newer facilities and found the tone of the meeting to be disturbing.
Morole added that no one wanted to hear the success stories of the organization.
“We’ve had two single moms with children go through the Habitat for Humanity program and they are now homeowners”
She also said that SCCHS has tried to be a good neighbor.
“We have rules and we’ve tried to keep our places clean and keep incidents to a minimum,” Morole said. “The fact of the matter is we’re going to be here regardless of whether we have a new structure or not.”
