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Homeless Shelters Should Not Be Built Next to Schools or Playgrounds
PASS - Protecting All Saratoga Students started this petition on Change.org
In October of last year, it was announced that the City of Saratoga Springs intended to construct a permanent 24/7 low barrier homeless shelter directly next to Saratoga Central Catholic School, a private middle and high school that has been operating at its current site since 1855. The location would be on current City property on 5 Williams Street that adjoins the play field for the school. After the community raised concerns for the safety of students at the school, in February of this year the Mayor announced the formation of a task force to determine if a low barrier shelter, which does not restrict who can use the facility, should be located within the city, and if so, where it should be located and who should operate it. The Williams Street location next to the school is still under consideration.
THE HOMELESS ARE A VULNERABLE GROUP IN SARATOGA, BUT SO ARE THE CITY'S CHILDREN.
While we support a compassionate solution to provide shelter and rehabilitative resources to the largest homeless population in Saratoga County, we strongly oppose the location of a low barrier homeless shelter next to any school or playground.
WHAT IS A LOW BARRIER SHELTER?
A low barrier homeless shelter is defined as an Emergency Shelter that does not require any of the following for a client to stay at the shelter: (i) criminal background checks, (ii) credit checks or income verification, (iii) program participation, (iv) sobriety, or (v) identification.
NO IDENTIFICATION REQUIRED. NO BACKGROUND CHECKS. NO SOBRIETY SCREENING.
Without performing background checks or checking a person’s identification, the shelter operator would be unable to know if a person had current or prior criminal convictions, warrants, arrests, sex offender registration status, or assess whether that individual would pose a safety risk. By locating such a facility near schools or playgrounds, children are inherently exposed to risks as homeless individuals move to and from the shelter. While attempts at risk mitigation such as fencing, cameras, security guards, etc. are costly and make for an unwelcoming environment for children, they do not prevent exposure as the concentration of higher risk individuals increases in close proximity to such a shelter.
Stereotyping the homeless is not productive. However, by not acknowledging the potential risks involved by co-locating a low barrier shelter with schools and/or playgrounds, the City will be putting children at risk. The issues surrounding sheltering and rehabilitating homeless individuals are undoubtedly multifaceted and must be dealt with in a safe location where the general public, especially children, are not negatively impacted.
