Homeless shelter staying at West Seattle church 1 more week

Fellow neighborhood-news site My Ballard has been covering the controversy since a neighborhood there was told that a church-owned building would become the new site of the homeless shelter that’s spent the past year at West Seattle’s Church of the Nazarene (2008 photo at left; here’s our update from a week ago; here’s our story from 3/08). A short time ago, My Ballard published breaking news of a new development – the shelter’s overseers at SHARE are holding off on the potential Ballard move for at least 4 weeks, while saying they’re being allowed to stay in West Seattle another week. (As for what would happen during the interim three weeks, My Ballard is working to find out.)

natinstl February 28, 2009 (5:20 pm)

I can only speak for myself, but I’d like to say I live by the current location and have never had a problem resulting from anyone living there.

p February 28, 2009 (5:56 pm)

I can second that, our business is just a few blocks away and we have not had any issues either.

Bonnie March 1, 2009 (12:34 pm)

I know where that is and never even realized there was a homeless shelter there. It seems like Ballard is all up in arms over nothing.

Ballard Guy March 2, 2009 (8:26 am)

It’s because we already have a permanent soup kitchen, food bank and shelter in the neighborhood and can’t take any more. We’ve done our bit, but we can’t take anymore homeless services in the neighborhood, since the ones we have already affect the quality of life around here.

Also, the shelter refuses to do background checks on people staying there and it’s near a school, day care center and public park. We have every right to demand the same accountability we get from other homeless services in the neighborhood. SHARE/WHEELS simply refuses to work or talk to the community and didn’t even bother sending any representatives to answer questions to last week’s meeting.

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