Story originally published in The Sylva Herald, March 13 edition
It’s no secret that HERE in Jackson County, the nonprofit charged with supporting the local homeless population, wants a brick-and-mortar shelter.
HERE has asked for $500,000 from Jackson County commissioners in January and is raising funds wherever else they can.
A potential location at the former Southwestern Development Daycare Center in Webster raised a few eyebrows in the community, however nothing about that site is etched in stone, according to HERE Director Gretta Worley.
On Monday, Feb. 24, HERE officials attended a Community Roundtable Discussion at WNC From the Ground Up (formerly Kel-Sav) about supporting the unhoused people of Jackson County.
Online drama ensued, prompting discussion surrounding the Webster property in question.
During the public comment section of the Webster Town Hall meeting on Wednesday, March 5, concerns were raised about the safety of the potential location in Webster and its distance from other services.
“This site is dangerously close to a highway with a 55-mph speed limit, with no sidewalks and limited transit access,” Vicki Todd said.
In an email to Webster Town Hall, Webster resident Neal Morgan wrote:
“With the lack of nearby services and commercial infrastructure, this site would not serve the homeless population effectively in terms of access to healthcare, employment or other vital services…the proposed location is on a 55 mph highway with no sidewalks for pedestrians.”
Many of the comments made by the public at the Webster Town Hall meeting and on Facebook in response to HERE’s post are in favor of a homeless shelter, while also urging those in charge to carefully consider all sides of the situation.
“As we move closer to making a final decision, we remain committed to engaging with the community to address any concerns or questions regarding the selected location,” Worley wrote on Facebook.
“No property will be purchased or finalized without first discussing it with the community. Our goal is to ensure that the shelter is both effective in serving those in need and thoughtfully integrated into the community. Once a specific location has been selected, we will release the address and invite community members to engage in the conversation.”
Worley is in for a battle against NIMBYism, the Not In My Back Yard phenomenon, she said in a Monday interview in her West Main Street office with the Herald editor.
People say they want a homeless shelter as long as it is not next door.
HERE is currently looking at two places in Sylva and the Webster location. A potential Dillsboro site has been sold.
The two in town are close to Harris Regional Hospital.
“They’re on the transit line,” Worley said. “Folks will think it is closer to resources but there is no one central place with resources, they are all over the county. There will still be folks who have to walk and take transit, just like they would from any other place.”
Services needed
During the January cold snap with single-digit temperatures, HERE served 33 individuals, including several families.
“We housed them at multiple motels at a cost of $46,865,” she said. “And that amount does not include food, because they were so far out they could not get to The Community Table.”
HERE fed the people breakfast, dinner and snacks.
“We get money from Jackson County, the Church of the Good Shepherd, the Evergreen Foundation, the United Way’s Emergency Food and Shelter, and the Emergency Solutions Grant from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services,” Worley said.
The health department grants flow out of the federal system, worrying Worley given the current political climate and cuts coming down from the administration of President Donald Trump.
“We’re all on pins and needles here,” she said. “We don’t know what is going to happen.”
A new website is in the works and will provide more information, possibly including feasibility studies HERE has done on a homeless shelter and its impact.
