Downtown shelter asks to expand

A city hearing examiner is considering Community Lifeline's request to expand the capacity of its downtown Shelton homeless shelter from 35 beds to 54.

On Monday evening, city hearing examiner Andrew Reeves heard three hours of testimony from the City of Shelton, Community Lifeline board members, business owners and neighboring residents about the shelter at 218 N. Third St. at the Shelton Civic Center.

The nonprofit is requesting an amendment to an existing conditional use permit to expand its bed capacity. The City of Shelton recommends approving the amendment, with eight conditions that include having at least one trained staff member on site for every 15 patrons staying at the facility and coordinating with the city to maintain an ongoing count of available beds.

Reeves said he expects to announce a decision on the nonprofit's request the week of Jan. 8. A similar request was rejected in June 2022 by hearing examiner Terrence McCarthy, who said expanding from 35 to 50 beds would "add gasoline to a fire" following complaints by neighbors about vandalism, open drug use, intimidation and trash.

Eleven people spoke at the Monday hearing. Five others sent comments, two in support of the bed expansion, three opposed, said Jason Dose, the city's senior planner. Written comments can be sent to [email protected] until noon Monday.

The roots of the shelter began in 1992 when the city authorized a permit for St. David of Wales to operate a shelter at its church.

In February 2006, the City of Shelton hearing examiner approved a conditional use permit for Community Lifeline authorizing a cold-weather shelter. The shelter was allowed to open between Nov. 1 and April 30 on nights when the temperature was forecast to fall below 32 degrees. In October 2019, the city approved an amendment to the conditional use permit that allowed year-round occupancy following fire alarm and sprinkler upgrades.

When the pandemic hit in March 2020, the Community Lifeline building transformed into a round-the-clock "low barrier" shelter that offers meals, showers, clothing, case management, peer support, job training and resource connection for people in need.

Dose pointed out that since the rejection of the increase in beds last year, Community Lifeline has made improvements, including installing security cameras around the building and adding fencing. He pointed out that the shelter is the only one in Mason County that allows single people.

A key question is "is 19 additional beds a tipping point?" Dose said.

The first speaker Tuesday was Dan Chandler, a member of Community Lifeline's board of directors. He said the building "can safely accommodate 54 beds on the site."

Chriss Brickert, the chair of the board, followed. She said the shelter has accomplished the requirements spelled out after the last application, including adding lighting, installing security cameras around the building, moving the Recovery Cafe to a different building, installing fencing in an alley and removing a corner bench outside. She pointed out that the number of homeless people documented in the annual January "Point in Time" counts in Mason County increased from 111 in 2021 to 254 in 2022 to 477 this year.

"Homelessness is a very, very complicated situation," she said. "It's not an easy fix for everyone." She added, "The ultimate goal is to get them into permanent housing."

Dean Jewett, a downtown business owner, said he consistently sees homeless people sleeping and consuming drugs on private property near the shelter. He said he counted 22 tents in Brewer Park, even though camping on the property is illegal.

If it's a night-by-night shelter, who has stayed there the longest, Jewett asked. "Is it a shelter or is it housing?" he asked.

Kristy Buck owns the building that houses John L. Scott Real Estate, a half-block from the shelter. "I struggle with this because I have a compassionate heart," she said. But some homeless people who are required to leave the shelter at 8 a.m. sleep in front of her building, discard trash and use drugs openly, she said.

Shelton City Council member Miguel Gutierrez said that when homeless people are "swept" out of Olympia, they come to Shelton as "a last resort."

"The narrative is it's a Community Lifeline problem, but it's a homelessness problem in general," he said. He added, "We can show compassion. We can't fall into the trap of blaming Community Lifeline ... The only thing I see at Community Lifeline is compassion at the door."

Judy Whittaker lives next door, and "I have a bird's eye view every day," she said.

Despite the efforts by the city clearing campers out of Brewer Park, "I still do not feel safe in my own home," Whittaker said.

As she testified two years ago, Whittaker said her husband was assaulted by a shelter resident. People pass out on the street outside her gate, perform lewd acts, defecate and urinate, and try to break into her house, Whittaker said.

Whittaker said she's heard talk of moving the shelter elsewhere but hasn't heard of any specific proposal. A new site on the edge of town, on a bus line, would be good, she said.

Some downtown business owners shared their frustrations.

Beth McBain owns a business a few blocks from the shelter. She said she's called Shelton Police many times to have an unconscious person removed from the doorway of her business. She said she regularly cleans up feces and urine.

McBain said she supports agencies that are helping the homeless, but said she's concerned about adding almost 30 percent more beds to the shelter,

Fellow downtown business owner Holly Cahoon agreed, saying, "We can't handle the impact."

"I want these people to get help, but not to the detriment of our downtown," she said. Cahoon said she has to power wash her building three times a year to remove the urine.

Colleen Carmichael is executive director of Quixote Communities, which operates a new collection of tiny homes for homeless Mason County veterans in Shelton. She said she supports Community Lifeline's efforts to add beds. She urged people to check out websites such as the National Alliance to End Homelessness to see that housing homeless people is less expensive to taxpayers than the impact of them being homeless. She said she understands the frustration she's hearing from some of the shelter's neighbors.

"We want to get people off the street so you don't have to see them or deal with them anymore," she said.

Athena Ayres, the former executive director of Community Lifeline, said Community Lifeline is working to address the concerns of the neighbors. The homelessness problem is not Community Lifeline's, but a national issue, she said.

As for the shelter, "I've heard the phrase, 'If we build it, they will come.' But it's already built and they're already here," Ayres said.