In this exercise, you will play the role of one stakeholder involved in the siting of a homeless resource center in the (fictitious) Maplewood neighborhood of Salt Lake City UT. Maplewood comprises of predominantly single-family housing with a mix of service and retail businesses on the main arterials (see map). A new women’s homeless resource center is being proposed on a City-owned site that has been vacant for a while. The center will include 120 beds and counseling services for its residents. The site is located at the northern edge of Maplewood (south of Westheimer Road) which puts it in proximity to the next neighborhood of Westbury (north/west of Westheimer). The City’s announcement of the new homeless resource center site is part of its and the County’s efforts to address a recent spike in rates of homelessness. The siting in Maplewood, however, has generated strong opposition among some of the local residents and businesses. Some residents are worried that the new center will affect their property values, while businesses worry about the increase of crime in the neighborhood and its impact on its clientele. They point to the existing large-capacity shelter in the Downtown that has been the site of intense drug trafficking and loitering in the recent years. Prominent stakeholders in opposition of the project include the Westbury Community Council and the Westheimer Road Business Association.
In response, the City Planning Department and the Mayor’s Office have clarified that the new site will be a smaller facility meant to serve women and children only. They point to a similar center in a different neighborhood that has functioned peacefully for many years. They are also insistent that the new facility should be located in Maplewood to ensure a balanced distribution of services across the city. In fact, the Mayor has been famously quoted as saying, “The site decision is not up for debate.”
The project is largely supported by the County administration (which will partly fund the effort) and affordable housing advocates across the City. The most prominent support has come from The Shelter Agenda, a local non-profit that has been pushing for increased homeless services in the City for many years. They are in support of distributing services across the City, but worry that political pressure may
cause the project to halt before it has started. Some residents, including the Maplewood Community Council, are also cautiously welcoming of the project, worried more about the design of the facility rather than its siting. They insist the facility must house only “low-risk” families, mitigate overcrowding and minimizing loitering through good design. They also insist that the City increase transparency in the planning and design decisions for the new center.
Your task
Each stakeholder team will produce a 2-page memo outlining their argument for each hearing (for a total of two memos per team). These must be uploaded on Canvas as well as distributed in class (bring print copies). Use APA Reference Style the two memos.
Memo outline
The design of shelter 1 page
- Keep it all indoors (no one camping outside or loitering)
- Keep the facility small (only 120 beds); not a 900-bed facility
- Low visibility (not directly located on Westheimer Rd, but tucked away out of sight); but still easily accessible
The services 1 page
Day shelter and services (link Comprehensive report Utah https://jobs.utah.gov/housing/scso/documents/homelessness2016.pdf)
