Sussex board denies Immanuel Shelter application
The Sussex County Board of Adjustment voted 4-1 to deny a special-use exception for Immanuel Shelter Inc. to operate a homeless shelter on Hebron Road in West Rehoboth.
Four of the five board members agreed the proposed shelter was out of character with the neighborhood and would have an adverse effect on adjoining properties.
They also agreed that the homeless shelter would have a detrimental impact on a West Side New Beginnings facility that offers children's programming. The center is located 150 feet from the building proposed for the homeless shelter.
Board member Norman "Bud" Rickard said it was a very emotional case with strong arguments presented by both sides.
"But it is out of character, and we have to take into consideration the feeling of that neighborhood," he said, adding the board received a petition with 68 signatures of residents in the neighborhood opposed to the shelter.
The decision came as little surprise to the applicant or the opponents.
Immanuel board President Janet Idema said after the board tabled the application Jan. 24, the no vote was not unexpected. She said she was disappointed for the local homeless population, who have no face and are seen as dangerous because they are homeless.
Idema said the Immanuel board decided at a Jan. 28 meeting to not pursue an appeal. She said the board has also decided to not continue to pursue the West Rehoboth property and to look for other options. Idema said the seller of the Hebron Road property wants to sell and with an appeal process likely to take months, the board decided to end the contract for the site. At this point, she said, Immanuel does not know what options are on the table, but will monitor the real estate market for potential shelter sites.
West Side New Beginnings President Janet Maull-Martin also said she was not surprised. "Just very thankful," she said. "I know the decision is good for the children and citizens of the West Rehoboth community."
Rickard agreed a homeless shelter near West Side New Beginnings would have a chilling effect on participation at the youth center. "It's a convincing argument that people would be reluctant to send children to West Side New Beginnings," he said.
"It would change the neighborhood, and we have to look at it for the kids' sake," said board member Brent Workman.
"My strongest concern is the safety of the children," said board Chairman Dale Callaway.
Board member John Mills, who cast the lone vote in favor of the application, said he sided with the applicant's testimony. "The opposition was more emotional than factual," he said. "They had no professional witnesses, and a lot of testimony was not pertinent to the case. The opposition was rooted in fear and speculation."
Based on the evidence, he said, the West Rehoboth location is ideal for a homeless shelter.
Maull-Martin said she is willing to work with Immanuel in the future.
"We are hopeful that a permanent place will be found for the proposed shelter, and the West Side New Beginnings board will do what we can to assist Ms. Idema in this effort,” she said.
With the recent storm to hit the Cape Region, Idema said there was a huge influx at Immanuel’s Code Purple shelter. She said the shelter averaged 30 people a night with as many as 40 seeking shelter. She said the number of people using the Code Purple shelter shows the need for another shelter in the area.
