WILMINGTON — Living Hope Day Center has halted its plans to move its low-barrier shelter into a new location at 10th and Dock streets after receiving pushback from residents in the area and the superintendent of New Hanover County Schools.
“When we first considered this property, we saw a building that checked nearly every box for Living Hope,” the center’s CEO Tony Perez wrote in a press release Thursday. “It was located along a largely commercial corridor, had the space and infrastructure we needed, and offered the possibility of establishing a permanent home for the work we are already doing. What we did not fully understand at the time was the larger community surrounding that building.”
At the Wilmington City Council’s Sept. 22 meeting, many residents urged council to step in, either by stopping the plans outright or mandating certain requirements. Several people requested the Perezes provide an operational plan explaining how they will mitigate potential safety concerns with what is presumed to be a no-barrier shelter without 24/7 hours.
Additionally, many speakers had concerns about the would-be shelter’s proximity to several schools.
“Our playground sits unused overnight and it is only a block away,” Mike Camps, representing the private institution School of Wonder, said at the meeting. “We need to consider the possibility that staff and young children could arrive in the morning while someone is still sleeping or sheltering on school property, or encountering belongings, drug paraphernalia, human waste, or other situations that our staff must address before children can safely enter the area.”
Superintendent Chris Barnes also asked for continued communication about maintaining a safe environment for students.
Perez wrote Thursday the neighbors’ feedback was not the sole reason for stopping its pursuit of the new facility.
“However, some of the concerns raised by neighbors helped us better understand the dynamics of the surrounding community and things we had not fully considered when we initially entered into the contract,” Perez said. “The process also caused us to think seriously about the environment into which we would be inviting the people we serve … some of what we experienced made us question whether this was an environment where they would consistently be treated with the dignity and respect every person deserves.”
Additionally, the city has initiated land code amendments that would change where homeless shelters are permitted within the city. Because Living Hope hadn’t made it to the permitting stage for its new location, these amendments could have prevented the nonprofit from moving into the 10th and Dock property.
Perez said Living Hope will still pursue a new location for the shelter.
“This isn’t the end of Living Hope, and it isn’t the end of our pursuit of a permanent home,” Perez wrote. “We are going to take some me to listen, learn, seek wise counsel, and carefully evaluate what comes next. We don’t want to simply find another building. We want to find the right place, the right model, and the right way forward for our Wilmington community as a whole.”
Living Hope had raised $359,845 for the new location through crowdfunding. In the press release Thursday, Perez said he is personally contacting the major donors, and every one he has spoken to so far has asked Living Hope to retain the donation.
Living Hope did incurred approximately $1,000 in normal due-diligence expenses associated with evaluating the property, inspections, legal work, and zoning verification.
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