Supporters of homeless camp lobby for permanent site

When state representatives asked for suggestions to redevelop the former Delaware State Police Troop 7 site near Lewes, the nearly 40 people attending a public meeting April 2 urged them to allow a structured homeless community to reopen there.  

“We demonstrated it does work,” said Frank Arena of Lewes, a volunteer for Code Purple at the Cape, which operated the structured tent community.

The state is considering options for the 7-acre site on Route 1 near Five Points that was home to Troop 7 until a new barracks was constructed on Mulberry Knoll Road in 2019. 

The property has remained largely vacant since. Code Purple at the Cape, which provides emergency housing for homeless people, used the barracks building briefly as a shelter until it was torn down in June 2024.

The homeless who lived there moved into nearby woods until a structured tent encampment opened for a trial period from Oct. 15 to Nov. 30 last year. It closed when Code Purple on the Cape opened its seasonal shelters for the winter.

Plans to reopen camp Tharros, named for the Greek word for courage, at the former DSP site March 15 stalled when organizers found out they would need approval from Sussex County and Lewes officials.

In January,  then-Gov. Bethany Hall-Long announced a study to determine a long-term plan for the former Troop 7 property, which led to the April 2 meeting held in the new Troop 7 building’s community room.

“This is a great alternative – Code Purple is a wonderful alternative," John Dean of Lewes, a volunteer for the group, said at the meeting.

“I couldn’t think of a better use for this particular location,” said Ward FitzPatrick of Lewes, a Code Purple volunteer. “Do the right thing. It’s pretty obvious what the right thing is.”

“The homeless have to go somewhere,” added Kevin Leary of Rehoboth Beach, another volunteer.

The findings of the study for site options are scheduled to be submitted Thursday, May 1, said John Tarburton, a deputy attorney general who helped coordinate the meeting. 

There are two areas totaling 5 acres of the site, separated by wetlands, that could be developed, said Philip Conte, president and CEO of Studio JAED, a consultant conducting the study of potential uses for the property.

The last updated study, also created by that company, was completed in 2020. Conte said its recommendations included selling the property as is, renovating buildings for another use, or demolishing the buildings, Conte said April 3. The state decided to tear down the vacant Troop 7 buildings, he said.

Mike Agnew, the Code Purple program site director, explained April 3 how the tent encampment was a community supported by 30 local organizations and many volunteers. The encampment had strict rules of conduct and required residents to participate in case management to address their needs, Agnew said. He urged the state to allow it to resume.

Code Purple received a $25,000 contribution from the City of Lewes – money obtained from the American Rescue Plan Act – to pay for a fence and connections to utilities.

“We’re here today for a reuse study, for a long-term solution,” said Jennifer Coverdale, director of facilities management for the state Office of Management and Budget. “So if the shelter is something that sounds like obviously it's a very big need, then it’s obviously something that we will put in our report and make sure it goes to the Legislature.”

Other state agencies may be interested in using the property, and no specific proposal will be endorsed in the report, Coverdale said.